Chasing Sunflowers
by Locked Myself Up in a Room
Summary: Shikadai x Himawari, next Naruto Generation. A story of Himawari rebelling against her father, and Shikadai coming to her aide. They find solace in each other, and happiness. Pairings: ShikaHima, Inojin x Mitsuki, Metal x Cho, and Boruto x Sarada as well as all canon Naruto couples. Please review and let me know how you like it!
1. Chapter 1: Remembering You

The barbeque restaurant was bustling with customers, much to Shikadai's annoyance. Despite the crowd, they were seated quickly into a back corner booth, and Shikadai perked up a little, it was one of his favorite tables. He noted that Chocho had slipped the waitress a few bucks. Of course Cho didn't want to wait an extra half hour for food.

Shikadai sat across from Inojin and Cho, both who looked ready to eat as they licked their lips. They had just finished another Ino-Shika-Cho training, and the three of them were beat. Rigorous training was necessary though to keep them in shape and ready for any moment in battle. Having been recently promoted to jonin, Shikadai led the training as the leader of their team. As a young genin, he never would have thought of himself reaching the level of jonin, he always thought that much work was too troublesome. However, he had the right amount of support to push him in the right direction, and he trusted his friends more than anything. The motivation to always keep his friends safe during battle pushed him towards his current level. He smiled slightly as he looked at his best friends, he was proud of all their hard work that brought them here today.

"Oh man I am so ready for barbeque beef!" Cho said, biting her bottom lip. She looked around the restaurant impatiently. "Why are there so many people here?"

"The peace day festival is coming up in a month, some of the travelers will be coming here soon." Inojin pointed out.

"A whole month early? Who has that kind of time?" Cho asked, still unnerved by the crowd.

"Nah, we're just here at their peak lunch rush," Shikadai commented with a wave of his hand.

"Speaking of the peace day festival," Cho started, suddenly seeming very interested in the topic, "who are you two taking for dates?"

Shikadai almost spat out his water, "dates?" he asked, perplexed, "we always just go together as friends though!"

Cho rolled her eyes at him, "C'mon Shikadai, grow up." Shikadai almost retorted back that he was a jonin level ninja, quite grown up. He held his tongue back though, he was used to Chocho's sassiness. "We're 22 years old now, I think it's time we start going to these events with dates. Besides," she looked around at both of them, waiting for them to gasp with anticipation.

"Yes?" Inojin asked after a much too long dramatic pause.

"I already have a date!" Cho squealed happily.

"Who would ask you out?" Inojin asked. He always had this way of asking the wrong questions, or stating things in an inappropriate manner. Shikadai had a feeling he had inherited this unfortunate trait from his socially inept father.

Cho rounded on him instantly, "what do you mean by that!? Tons of guys are interested in me, just so you know! I've only just now said yes because I happen to be interested in him!"

Inojin sunk into the corner, raising up his hand apologetically. Shikadai laughed under his breath. "Sorry!" Inojin said, "I only meant who asked you? I was curious."

"Hmm," Cho quickly got over her small fit of rage and switched back to her excited mood from before, "Metal Lee asked me just yesterday."

Shikadai was shocked to hear this news. He remembered now how Metal Lee had sometimes watched in on their Ino-Shika-Cho training. He had always thought that Metal was simply watching to gain information about various battle tactics, his father had trained him relentlessly and Metal could often be seen doing laps around the village or walking up the stairs on his hands. But perhaps Metal had watched their training sessions for a different reason.

"Congratulations," Shikadai said, truly meaning it.

Cho smiled warmly at him and then went on to discuss the finer details of how Metal had asked her out. She was never one to leave out any bit of information, "he came up to me yesterday as I was walking home from practice. I felt pretty embarrassed, I mean, I had sweat a lot after working out in the hot sun, but he didn't mind at all. He told me he had been waiting to catch up to me and ask. As soon as I said yes though, his father popped up out of nowhere. I could tell Metal was really embarrassed, it was kind of cute how much he blushed. His dad hugged me tight saying something like, 'the power of youth and love!' It was pretty hilarious, I just laughed while Metal told his dad to go away. Then he walked me home and said he'd like to hang out with me soon! So after lunch today he and I are going to get dessert together, I can hardly wait!" She was brimming with excitement. Shikadai was happy for her, he had never seen her this happy before. The only other thing that made her this happy was food, especially barbeque. At that moment, their plates arrived and the dish of raw meat was handed to Cho, who eagerly began placing pieces of beef on the grill with a wide grin.

"I've been thinking about dating too," Inojin piped up. Shikadai and Cho eyed him questioningly, both of their mouths were full with cooked beef. "I'm thinking of asking Mitsuki to go with me, but I'm just not sure if he'll be into that kind of thing." Inojin blushed a little and swept his eyes downwards towards the grill on the table.

Shikadai had always suspected that Inojin might have a preference for men, "that's great Inojin, I think you should go for it," he said supportively. He had his suspicions that Mitsuki was also interested in men, as he had rejected all advances made towards him by the girls in their class when they were younger. He had made it quite clear that he didn't find any of them attractive.

Inojin smiled, "you think so?" he asked, perking up in his chair.

"Yeah," Cho agreed, after chewing on a succulent piece of meat, "you're both weird, it would be cute if you guys started dating. You'd be a good match for each other."

Inojin smiled at her, "thanks!" he said brightly, oblivious to her slight insult in calling him 'weird.'

Shikadai laughed at them, enjoying being around his friends. He had to admit they were both weird in their own way, but he liked that about them.

"So Shikadai, if we both have dates, then what will you do?" Cho asked, "the peace day festival is coming up soon, you should ask someone."

Shikadai considered this as he took another bite of meat. The peace day festival happened once every two years, it was a celebration of peace among the shinobi that formed after the 4th great shinobi war. The peace day festival didn't just last one day as the name implied. Over the years it had grown and become a huge event that lasted 3 days, sometimes longer. It was held in a different village each year, and this year would be held by Konoha. The kage from each village as well as most of the villagers themselves would be in attendance to watch the firework display, eat a wide assortment of foods and treats, and enjoy the festival games and theatrical productions. There were storytellers who would come and re-tell highlights of the 4th shinobi war and there were musicians who would sing about the peace among nations. There was always a period of silence for those who were lost in the war, and then paper lanterns were lit up in the sky to commemorate those fallen warriors. It was truly a spectacular event, full of many fun activities and heartwarming moments as they remembered those lost and reflected on the peace that was gained. Shikadai always enjoyed going, the last one had been held at Sunagakure, which had been wonderful. He was able to hang out with his uncles Gaara and Kankuro, and the fireworks that year had been truly impressive. He always watched the fireworks with Chocho and Inojin, it was one of their traditions. Now that they were going with dates, Shikadai would have to find someone else to watch the firework display with. This seemed like a troublesome dilemma for Shikadai.

He thought back to all his encounters with women, most of which were unpleasant. He had only ever spoken to a few women around his age in his life, he had never bothered to go out and talk with any of the girls that were not in his class. He considered Cho a friend, almost like a sister and had never felt any romantic feelings towards her. He one time walked into her room while she was changing and felt completely embarrassed. Cho had on her pants and a bra, she was still deciding what shirt she should wear that day. She was unfazed by Shikadai's presence, "oh psh, you're like my little brother," she had said, "I don't care if you see my bra. Actually, you can help me decide which shirt to wear, the pink one or the green." She held up both options. Shikadai could almost see the outline of her breasts underneath, as the bra was pale in color.

He blushed again, looking away. Inojin had then entered the scene, "oh I like the pink one!" he said in a cheery voice, oblivious to Shikadai's embarrassment. Cho pulled the pink shirt over her head, trying it on.

Shikadai then looked back at her, recalling her words, "hey, why would you think of me as a _little_ brother?" he asked.

"Women mature faster than men," she had explained, as if it was that simple. Inojin laughed at them, finally realizing that Shikadai had walked in unexpectedly on Cho. Shikadai and Cho laughed along with Inojin, his laughter was quite contagious.

Shikadai smirked as he thought of that encounter, and he quickly picked up another piece of meat with his chopsticks, placing the morsel in his mouth as he continued to think about his past experiences with women.

When he was 17, he had asked Sarada out on a date. He had thought she was pretty, just like every other boy in his grade, and although he didn't know her very well, he thought he should give it a shot. He wasn't even sure that he really wanted to go out on a date with her, but he had overheard her talking with Chocho about a guy that she liked. It had made him curious, so he had asked her out just to see what her reaction would be. Sarada had stomped on his foot in anger and cried, "no Shikadai!" He was stunned by her violent response, a simple 'no' would have sufficed. "I'm waiting for Boruto to finally realize he likes me, I don't need you interfering! You're one of his good friends, shouldn't you know that he likes me? Does he?" she had yelled all these mad things out while waving her arms around in anger. Shikadai wasn't sure what to say to her, he had never talked about girls with Boruto before that time. He was almost glad she had said no, if she was always asking troublesome questions and stomping on people's feet then maybe it was a good thing she didn't want to go on a date with him.

After that encounter, which he had told no one about, he tried to casually bring up Sarada in conversation to Boruto. He noticed that Boruto had blushed slightly when he had asked him, "what do you think of Sarada? I know she's your teammate, but I've seen you guys hang out a lot and I sometimes wonder if she means more to you than just a friend."

Boruto had deflected this and tried to change the subject. Shikadai's question must have stirred something within him though, because just a few months later Shikadai and Sarada started going out on dates. Pretty soon they were inseparable and even to this day they can be caught holding hands or kissing lightly in public. Shikadai was happy for them, but all the same it was quite troublesome walking around the corner and seeing them embraced in a kiss. They often had to sneak around and hide from the prying eyes of their parents.

The only other girl Shikadai could think of was Boruto's little sister Himawari. She had always been nice to him. He recalled the time that he came over to the Uzumaki house to hang out with Boruto, and Himawari had come running out of her room holding a large box. "Here Shikadai!" she had said brightly with a big smile. She handed the box to him, which was full of chocolates.

"Thanks Himawari," Shikadai said, "what are these for?"

"It's for Valentine's day!" she said, "it's an American holiday where you give chocolates to people! I got some for you and for mom and dad and big brother too!"

She was super excited, and was about to double back to her room to grab more chocolates when Boruto said, "you know you're only supposed to give chocolates to the people you like right?"

Himawari blinked in confusion at her big brother. She was around 10 at the time, and she didn't quite understand Boruto's question. "but I like all of you," Himawari said to him.

Boruto rolled his eyes and snickered, "I mean you give the chocolates to people you _like_ like." The emphasis on the word 'like' made Himawari blush fiercely red. She quickly backed away and ran to her room while Boruto laughed. Boruto was 13 or 14 at the time, Shikadai couldn't quite remember, but he did remember that being the age that Boruto got a kick out of teasing his little sister. He soon grew out of that age, thank goodness.

"You didn't have to say it like that," Shikadai had said to Boruto. Boruto shrugged his shoulders, brushing off Shikadai's comment.

Although it had embarrassed Himawari, Shikadai was grateful for the gesture and he made sure to slip a 'thank you' note under her door later that evening.

Another memory of Himawari that Shikadai recalled was her chunin exams. The chunin exams were held in Sunagakure that year for Himawari, and Shikadai's father had been in charge of the third round- the one on one battles. Shikadai watched alongside his uncle Gaara the Kazekage and his mother, his father was busy on the scene, making sure that everything was running smoothly. Boruto's father, the Hokage, was also seated in their section alongside the other kages. Boruto and Shikadai watched together as Himawari was called forward in battle against a genin from Iwagakure. The kunoichi she was up against was an ominous looking girl with an evil look in her eyes, but this did not faze Himawari. When the battle began, Shikadai was stunned with the fierceness and power that Himawari unleashed with each blow. Shikadai had always known her to be gentle, kind and sweet, so seeing this steady fierceness was surprising for him. He found himself silently rooting for her as she fought valiantly and cleverly, blocking each attack from the Iwagakure ninja and countering with her mighty attack of the gentle fist. Her byagukan eyes helped her to aim directly for the chakra points on her opponent, and she soon rendered the Iwagakure kunoichi immobile, unable to use chakra. Himawari had won the fight with flying colors, and Shikadai had wanted to scream and cheer alongside Boruto. But Shikadai felt that he would look like a fool cheering for her when in the presence of the other kage. He saw Naruto smile widely at Himawari's win, but he did not cheer as loudly or obnoxiously as Boruto.

Himawari had become a chunin that year, at the age of 12. She was one of the few in her class to reach that level, most of them remained genin. Shikadai thought of her different from that day on, he realized that she was kind and sweet but was also a force to be reckoned with. He had more respect for her after watching her fight.

Recalling her fighting during the chunin exams led Shikadai to think about - **SNAP SNAP** \- Shikadai blinked, noticing that Cho had snapped her fingers in front of his face to awaken him from his daze.

"You were sort of dozing off there, lost in thought again," Cho said. "Honestly, what do you even daydream about all the time?" She asked him.

Shikadai blinked, focusing back on where he was. He wasn't even sure what had gotten him onto his train of thought anymore. He often dozed away from reality, daydreaming or reminiscing about other things until someone had to snap him awake. That person was usually Chocho.

"Sorry," he said, now remembering what their earlier troublesome conversation had been about, "I just don't know who I would ask for a date…but I'll think of someone."

"Yeah, you don't want to get stuck going with your parents," Inojin said, "I heard from Boruto that he saw your mom and dad making out during the fireworks display last time. He said they were really getting into it."

Shikadai made a face, "ugh gross I don't want to hear that stuff!" he told Inojin.

"Oh okay," Inojin said, "I sometimes hear my parents in the bedroom, I figure most of our parents probably-"

"Oh gross stop right there!" Cho said. She often had to stop the clueless Inojin from saying things that were socially taboo. "Anyways," Cho said, eyeing Inojin cautiously, "you have a month Shikadai, don't over think it."

Shikadai sighed, he had already begun to over think about asking someone for a date. This whole thing was troublesome. He hoped that one of them would change the topic of conversation soon. He was in luck as Cho said, "anyways, are you guys going to Himawari's 18th birthday party tonight?"

"Yes, Mitsuki invited me," Inojin said, smiling brightly. Cho nudged him and raised her eyebrows, Inojin blushed.

"Huh?" Shikadai was confused, "what birthday party?"

"Oh did Boruto not invite you?" Inojin asked bluntly.

"No, I guess not." Shikadai said. It was odd, he and Boruto were good friends. Although if it was Himawari's birthday, maybe it was more of a family get together.

"Well, Sarada invited me," Cho said, "and I'm sure Sarada's only going because Boruto invited her…and they probably had to invite Mitsuki since he's part of their team. Sorry Shikadai." Cho smiled, trying to hide the awkwardness of bringing up the party that Shikadai had not been invited to. She probably wished she hadn't mentioned it at all.

Shikadai didn't mind too much, of course he wished he could go but he never minded having a night to himself to read or stargaze. They had switched topics of conversation again, speaking about lighter things before finishing their meal. They soon left the restaurant with their bellies full and parted ways. Inojin and Shikadai wished good luck to Cho on her dessert date with Metal Lee. "Psh, I don't need luck!" she had called out to them. Shikadai walked Inojin to his house and then began walking the rest of the way home on his own. He enjoyed walking alone, it gave him time to think about things.

He had barely taken 10 steps however when he heard someone running up behind him. He turned around and was shocked to see Himawari running in his direction. "Shikadai!" she called, wearing a big smile. Shikadai stopped and waited for her to catch up to him, which didn't take long at all. She was slightly out of breath, "I've been looking for you!" she said.

"Really?" Shikadai asked, wondering what she needed.

"Yeah, what are you doing tonight?" She asked, and then before he could respond she added, "It's my birthday tonight and I'd like you to come! A few friends and my family will be having dinner and drinks at Touka. It's that new nice restaurant by the south gates."

"Yeah I've heard of it, it's supposed to have pretty good food," Shikadai said, "yeah I can go, I wouldn't miss it," he added, making Himawari smile even larger.

"Great!" she said, "we're meeting up at 8pm there."

"Alright cool," Shikadai said, and then he added, "Um- you didn't necessarily have to invite me for Boruto, I know he probably just wants to hang out with Sarada anyways." He didn't want Himawari to have to go through all this trouble just for her brother.

"Oh," Himawari said, turning a little pink in the face, "I'm not inviting you because of Boruto, I'm inviting you because I want you to come," she said. Shikadai felt a jolt of surprise tinged with excitement, he hadn't expected to receive a formal invitation from her for her birthday.

"Great then," he said, clearing his throat, "I'll definitely be there."

"Good!" Himawari said cheerfully, "oh and um, try not to drink too much while my dad's around. My mom and dad will leave after we eat dinner so that I can hang out with just my friends and then we can all drink." Now that Himawari was 18, she was legally allowed to drink.

"Oh yeah no worries," Shikadai said, waving his arms, "I wouldn't want to get drunk in front of the Hokage."

"Haha yeah, I guess not. I can trust you," she gave him another genuine bright smile, "anyways I have to get going, but I'll see you later!" She turned around and waved at him. Shikadai waved back, feeling happier than he had before. There was something quite contagious about her sunny smile that uplifted his spirits.

….

Shikadai entered his home, looking forward to going out later for Himawari's birthday gathering. He was thinking about what he should wear, the restaurant was really quite nice and fancy which was troublesome. He never knew what to wear to fancy places.

"Shikadai is that you?" he heard his mother call from the kitchen. "I'm just wondering what to cook for dinner, do you have any suggestions?"

Shikadai popped his head into the kitchen, "I'm going out for dinner tonight, it's Himawari's birthday."

"Oh!" Temari looked surprised, "what did you get her?"

"Huh?" The thought hadn't occurred to Shikadai that he needed to get a gift. "um uh," he laughed awkwardly, knowing he was about to get berated by his mother.

"Oh Shikadai, I taught you better than that!" she said, "she's the Hokage's daughter, you should get her something nice!"

"Uh I don't really know her that well mom, I'm not even sure what she wants." Shikadai retorted.

Temari considered this, thinking hard, "hmm…how about some flowers or chocolates?"

Shikadai felt his face flush, "It's not a date mom, all her friends and family are going."

Temari looked a little surprised, "Oh, the way you said it earlier I thought it was just the two of you, but that makes sense," she chuckled and smiled at her son, "make her a birthday card then, and I'll run to the store and get her a bracelet or something."

"A bracelet mom?" Shikadai sighed, "that still sound like an intimate gift…I'll just stick with the card." He walked out of the room then, not wanting to talk any more with his mother about what gift to get Himawari. The whole ordeal was too troublesome to him.

He plopped on his bed with a piece of paper and some crayons. He thought it would be childish to make a card on his own, but it would be better than nothing. He didn't have the time to buy a card, and he always thought that cards bought in a store lacked sincerity. He folded the paper in two and wrote "happy birthday Himawari!" on the front. In the inner flap of the card, he wrote "I hope you're 18th year is a memorable one. Stay sweet- Shikadai." He wasn't ever sure what to write on cards, but he figured this would do just fine. The card still looked pretty blank, so he decided to draw a sunflower on the left side of the inside flap. He wasn't very good at drawing, so he looked up a picture on his cell phone for reference. The flower didn't look very realistic, but it was good enough. He sighed, wondering how soon she would throw out his card after tonight.

Once the card was finished, he had to decide what to wear. It was a drag, but after looking through his closet, he finally found the right outfit. He wore black long pants and a blue shirt with a white tie. He put on the outfit and surveyed himself in the mirror. He decided it was alright and changed back into his normal attire. He had a few chores to do around the house before 8pm or his mom would give him another talking to, which would be troublesome.


	2. Chapter 2: The Perfect Gift

Himawari wore a flowing red dress with white flowers on it, one of the many sunny flowery dresses that her mother loved to buy for her. She had even fashioned a small white flower in her hair to match, and she wore red lipstick to compliment the dress. She was ready to go out and have fun with her friends, as long as her dad didn't embarrass her too much.

"You ready Himawari?" Naruto poked his head into her room, took one look at her and said, "are you wearing that dress? Isn't it a little short?"

"Dad," Himawari complained, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm 18, you don't need to tell me what I can and can't wear."

"Alright, I know, you're right," he said, giving her a soft smile. He looked her up and down, with awe in his eyes. "You look really beautiful," he added before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He had just gotten back from the Hokage's office and still needed to change. It was 7:40, Himawari hoped they wouldn't be late.

"Hurry up dad!" she called after him, hoping he would hear her before he rounded the corner.

…..

They made it to the restaurant just barely in time, Himawari rushed her family to hurry. Luckily, her father had reserved a special room in the back of the restaurant for them, an exclusive room just for her birthday celebration. Himawari was grateful to her dad, she couldn't deny she was lucky to have such a loving family. Her parents had even bought her the newest cell phone for her birthday, she now had a touch screen pad and could text her friends much easier.

Sarada and Cho were waiting for them in the back room. "Happy birthday Hima!" they cried, rushing forward to hug her. Then Sarada hugged Boruto tight before they sat down.

"Where's your parents Sarada?" Naruto asked as they sat down.

"Oh, they're coming, should be here soon," Sarada replied, not looking too happy about it. Just then, a few more people trickled in. Himawari turned around expectantly, but it was only Mitsuki and Inojin.

"Oh!" Cho said, "I see you two came together," she said, winking. Mitsuki and Inojin didn't blush or flinch, they just sat down across from Cho and greeted Himawari with another "happy birthday!"

Their table was starting to look pretty full, and then Himawari's teammates Yuri and Kazuki stepped in and greeted the rest. They were soon followed by Sarada's parents, Sakura and Sasuke, who seated themselves next to Himawari's parents. Sasuke looked at Boruto with narrowed eyes, Boruto was holding Sarada's hand and smiling at her, oblivious to Sasuke's stare.

The waitress came around the corner then, beginning to ask for everyone's drinks. Himawari sighed, wondering if Shikadai would show up at all. Maybe she was too forward with him with her invitation earlier.

Before the waitress could finish ordering drinks, Shikadai entered the room, looking slightly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late," he said. He was holding a small gift, which he placed with the other gifts on a tiny table in the corner of the room. Himawari noticed him glance at the gifts, all of which were tall and rectangular- no doubt everyone had bought her some form of alcohol since she was now of legal age to drink. Shikadai's present stood out among the rest.

He took a seat next to Boruto just as the waitress came around to order his drink, "oh I'll just have a water," he said.

"Water?" Cho seemed offended by his drink choice, "this is a birthday Shika! I didn't even think you were coming! You should get some sake like the rest of us!"

Shikadai eyed Himawari with a knowing look, as if to say 'you should've warned everyone not to overdo it.' He grinned at her and Himawari laughed a little.

Their drinks came quickly, everyone had ordered an alcoholic beverage except Shikadai. "Cheers!" Naruto said, raising his glass up high. Everyone cheered as well and then Naruto went on, "I want to wish my little girl a happy birthday! She's 18 now, and legally an adult, but she'll always be my little girl. I love you Hima."

Himawari smiled and blushed a little in embarrassment before taking a big gulp of her sake. The liquid ran warm down her throat, turning her cheeks pink. The waitress ordered their food as they chatted with small talk.

….

Everyone was in a merry mood as the night wore on. The food was delicious, they were brought plates of sushi, meats, rice bowls and fresh fish. Himawari was trying to be careful with the amounts of drinks she consumed, but her friends kept handing her full glasses since it was her birthday. Her dad just smiled at them, it seemed he had drank a good amount of drinks himself. _Oh jeez,_ Himawari thought, _please don't let my dad get drunk in front of all my friends._

She noticed that Shikadai still had not drank anything alcoholic, he was sticking to water. She watched him as he popped another sushi roll into his mouth, looking at Boruto with dazed eyes. She suspected that he probably wasn't listening to her brother as he went on and on about one of the A ranked missions he had been on. She was pretty sure Shikadai had already heard this story. She wondered what he was thinking about instead.

Perhaps Himawari was feeling the effects of the alcohol because she leaned over the table and poured a hefty cup of sake for Shikadai and said, "here Shika, you can start drinking now." Shikadai stared at her with amazement, as though he had never seen her before. "What?" Himawari asked, "do I have something in my teeth?"

Shikadai shook his head, "no, uh, thanks for the drink." He took a cautious sip of the sake.

At that moment, Naruto stood up forcefully, almost knocking over a few items on the table. "A few words," he started, clearly drunk. Himawari felt her heart sink, here was the drunken speech she was hoping would not come, "I-I'm so proud of my little Himawari…as the Hokage, I wasn't always there for her for her special occasions. I missed birthdays in the past and I wanted to make up for that tonight. Himawari," he looked at her and smiled wide, "I love you! You have a great heart and you carry the will of fire within you! Everyone you meet is easily affected by your warmth and brightness…" he was beginning to cry now, "and I couldn't be happier to be your dad! I still remember the day you were born, you were not an easy one to deliver. Your mom was in labor for so long, I thought I would have to reach in and grab you out myself. But you grew up to be the most gentle, and kind young woman! Although, that doesn't mean there's no fight in you! I still remember the day I became Hokage, getting knocked out by your strength, even though you were still so young," full tears were brimming forth onto his striped cheeks now, and Himawari felt like dying from embarrassment. She silently pleaded with her mother to stop this foolishness. Her mother noticed her glance, and gave a small nod. "But, as you grew, I realized-" before Naruto could continue his heartfelt drunken speech, Hinata placed a gentle hand on his back and whispered something softly into his ear. He nodded, wiping the tears from his face and then said, "well that's about it anyways! Happy birthday Himawari!" Everyone clapped, but Himawari noticed the looks of intense awkwardness around the room.

Sasuke pulled on the hem of Naruto's shirt to sit him down, Himawari heard him mumble something like "sit down you idiot." Naruto turned to Sasuke and the two of them began arguing about something.

Himawari looked away, still feeling uncomfortable. She glanced across the table at Boruto, who was pulling Sarada in for a kiss, probably feeling courageous given the amount of alcohol he had drank. Himawari turned away from them, and her eyes landed on Shikadai, who was staring right back at her. She blushed a little and turned her eyes downwards towards her empty plate. She had not meant to make such forceful eye contact with him.

"So Himawari," Shikadai said, breaking the silence between them. She looked up at him again, "you were worried about your friends getting drunk in front of your dad, but it looks like the opposite happened." He gave a small laugh and then added, "how troublesome."

"Haha," Himawari laughed, feeling the tension lessen considerably, "you're right, I should have warned him not to overdo it." He smiled at her, and she felt at ease. The awkward embarrassment she had felt moments before washed away as she looked into his green eyes.

At that moment, Sasuke gave a loud throat clear as he stared daggers at Boruto and Sarada. They immediately stopped kissing, inching away from each other as much as they could. "I think it's about time for us to make our depart, Naruto" he said. He and Sakura got up, and Naruto and Hinata got up as well, following them out.

"Be safe everyone," Naruto said, "and Boruto, you make sure you and your sister get back before midnight."

"Sarada will be home by 11 at the latest," Sasuke announced.

Sarada stared at her dad with such intensity, Himawari thought she was about to put him under a genjutsu. "I'm an adult dad, I don't have a curfew."

Sasuke stared back at her, then shrugged and sighed. He promptly turned and left the room, Sakura waved goodbye to everyone and said to Sarada, "you're father just worries about you, but I know you'll be safe. Come home whenever you can." She followed Sasuke out the door.

Now that the parents had left the room, Himawari could sigh in relief. She felt the tension in the room ease, as her friends began to pour themselves another drink, shamelessly filling their cups to the brim.

She noticed Shikadai taking another gulp of his sake, finishing his glass. She raised her glass up high and announced, "cheers everyone! Thanks for coming!"

Everyone raised their glasses up and clinked them together in merriment. Boruto and Sarada kissed again, grateful to be out of the gaze of their parents. Yuri and Kazuki inched closer to Himawari, engaging her in conversation. Cho, Inojin and Mitsuki were laughing heartily about something at the corner of the table. Himawari listened to Yuri and Kazuki, but her attention was on Shikadai, who was sitting across the table alone, left out of everyone's conversation. Boruto didn't glance back at his friend as he showered Sarada with kisses on her cheek and neck. Shikadai sat next to him awkwardly, taking a few more sips of his drink.

Yuri was deep in conversation talking about a band called the Pursuit of Fire that was rumored to play during the peace day festival. Himawari glanced at Shikadai and decided to let him in on their conversation, "So Shikadai, do you like the Pursuit of Fire?"

He blinked as though coming out of a daydream and looked at Himawari, "Huh?" he said, seeming lost.

"The Pursuit of Fire…you know, the band. What do you think of them?" Himawari asked again.

"Oh, well, I like a few of their songs…but they aren't my favorite." He said honestly.

"Really? They're so awesome though!" Yuri cried with disbelief. She was a diehard fan of the band.

"Like I said, I do like some of their songs, but they get overplayed…they're too mainstream." Shikadai admitted.

Himawari silently agreed, she thought their songs were played too much as well. She was about to pipe up and say something, but Yuri cut her off, "they play their songs all the time because they are amazing! What band would you want to come play at the peace day festival?"

Shikadai was getting into the conversation now, "well the band I would like to see is My Evening Jacket, but you've probably never heard of them."

Himawari felt her heart leap in her chest, My Evening Jacket was her absolute favorite band. "Oh wow!" she cried, unable to formulate a sentence at that moment.

Yuri pointed to Himawari and then said to Shikadai, "that's her favorite band ever. I've only heard that band name because of her." Yuri then turned to Kazuki, who had been silent this whole time. He wasn't a big talker.

"They're really you're favorite band?" Shikadai asked.

"Yeah," Himawari said, "I have every album, my favorite song is Anyway." She had to stop herself from gushing too much about her favorite band, she didn't want to seem like a big dork.

"Wow," Shikadai said, "I never would have thought you'd like them, that's awesome. They're one of my favorites too."

"What other music do you listen to?" Himawari asked him.

Himawari and Shikadai spoke for most of the night about their favorite artists and bands, discussing their favorite songs and albums. Himawari began to feel a little lightheaded from the drinks, but she was eager to keep talking with Shikadai and learning more about him. She never knew that they had such similar interest in music, he listened to almost all of her favorite bands.

Himawari and Shikadai were still talking animatedly when Sarada cried out, "sake bombs! Himawari, one for you!" Her cheeks were flushed, she handed a drink to Himawari, nearly spilling it in the process. "Oopsie!" she chuckled to herself.

"Do you think you should keep drinking?" Himawari asked her.

Sarada laughed, "I'm fine! It's your birthday! Drink!" Sarada drank down the sake bomb in one gulp and then smacked her lips.

Boruto eyed his little sister with a look of apprehension, "Himawari, you don't ha-"

Sarada cut him off, "she's fine! She's barely buzzed! Let her have fun, stop being a stick in the mud!" Sarada stumbled and fell into Boruto's lap heavily, making him groan with stifled pain.

Himawari shrugged and then downed the sake bomb. She felt the effects of the drink immediately, it seemed that this drink pushed her over the edge. She was now drunk, no longer buzzed or lightheaded. The room seemed to spin before her, she took a deep breath and calmed down a little.

"Hooray!" Sarada yelled, clapping. She almost nudged Boruto in the face with her exuberant motions. Himawari smiled at her, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"Wow," Himawari said after a minute, "th-that was strong."

"Here, do you want some water?" Shikadai asked as he pushed forward his cup of water to her. Himawari nodded and took a sip of the water, which helped clear the fire from her throat.

"Thanks," she said, handing him back his glass which was almost empty. Shikadai smiled at her, looking as if he wanted to speak more. Just then however, Sarada sat up from Boruto's lap, nearly knocking over the table. She stumbled and almost fell, Boruto grabbed her by her waist.

"Okay, I think that's enough," he said, "I should take you home. Himawari are you ready to go?"

Himawari sighed, not wanting to leave yet. It was only 11:15, she wanted to stay a little longer and discuss more topics with Shikadai. Luckily, Cho answered for her, "hey it's her birthday, let her stay. I can take her home later, she'll be fine."

"Alright, you sure you're okay to do that?" Boruto asked her.

"Yeah, and Inojin and Shikadai can help too," she said, offering up her teammates. Boruto nodded and then placed Sarada's arm over his shoulder, lifting her up.

"I don't wanna go home babyyy." Sarada said with glazed over eyes.

"Let's go for a walk," Boruto said to her, walking her towards the door. "See you later Hima." He and Sarada waved goodbye and left the building.

Soon afterwards, Mitsuki, Yuri and Kazuki made their leave as it was getting pretty late. Himawari was left with just Cho, Inojin, and Shikadai. The four of them spoke for a little while about random topics of conversation before they decided to make their leave as well.

When Himawari got up, she felt the dizziness return slightly. She held onto the table for a moment for support before walking. Cho noticed this and grabbed her hand, helping her walk out. Inojin and Shikadai had grabbed her presents from the table.

"Thanks so much you guys," Himawari said.

Cho squeezed her hand, "no problem girl, you're the sweetest person in Konoha, we'd be crazy not to help you out."

"Are you sure you can carry all that?" Himawari turned and looked at Shikadai and Inojin, who had their hands full with her gifts.

"It's no problem," Inojin said, "I think most of it is more alcohol," he added bluntly.

They soon made it to the Uzumaki household. Himawari noticed that the light in her parent's bedroom was still on, her dad was probably waiting up for her. Cho, Inojin and Shikadai helped her inside, and they placed her presents on a small table in the living room. Himawari walked the three of them to the door, thanking them again for their help.

She hugged Cho, who said "happy birthday girl, hopefully you're hangover isn't too bad tomorrow."

Then Himawari hugged Inojin who said, "you smell nice, see you later!" Himawari laughed at his statement.

Shikadai looked at her with an awkward smile and said, "drink some more water before you go to sleep, it helps with hangovers." Himawari went to hug him, but he kept talking, "oh and um, my gift isn't alcohol, sorry about that…"

"Oh it's okay!" Himawari said, a little too loudly, "I'll probably never drink all that stuff anyways…at least not by myself!" she laughed a little, still feeling like she was being too loud. She tried to calm herself down, but the buzzing in her brain would not cease.

She looked at Shikadai, who was red in the face. _I wonder why he looks embarrassed?_ "What is it?" she asked him with curiosity.

"If you don't like my gift, I understand. Um- my mom, you know how she is- she insisted that I bring more than just a card. I didn't have time to buy anything so I just made something. Like I said, it's no big deal but you don't have to wear it if it isn't your style." Shikadai said all this in a ramble, the words coming out quickly.

Himawari leaned forward and hugged him, _he looks pretty cute when he's flustered!_ The effects of the alcohol made her uninhibited with her actions and words, "I'm sure I'll love it don't worry! Thanks again, get home safe!" she said into his chest. She pulled back from the hug and stared up at him with a wide smile. He blinked at her, still red in the face. He gave her a smile back.

"Um," he said. Himawari still had her arms wrapped around him.

"Oh!" Himawari said, realizing this and promptly letting go of her grip around his waist. "Sorry!" she laughed, "I'll go drink that water now."

"Yeah," Shikadai said, sounding a little nervous, "anyways, I had fun, thanks again for the invite."

"Alright, see you." Himawari said, watching the three of them walk away. She closed the door and then stumbled over to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She drank 3 cups of water, she hadn't realized how thirsty she was for it. She felt the dizziness start to fade away. _Shikadai was right, water helped. Of course he was right, he's really smart._

She meandered over to the table with her presents, deciding to open them now even though it was really late. Sarada and Cho had bought her a nice bottle of fine wine, she wondered how long it took them to save the money for it. She reminded herself to thank them later. Yuri and Kazuki gave her a sampler of mini bottles of wine, along with a framed picture of the three of them. Inojin's gift included a beautiful, realistic drawing of herself that he had wrapped around a bottle of cheap sake. The artwork was really amazing, Inojin had learned to draw from his father. Mitsuki and Boruto had bought a gift together for her. She opened it to find another bottle of sake along with her favorite candies and chocolates. Her brother had also included a heartfelt card for her which she appreciated, and held close to her chest.

Then Himawari's fingers found their way around Shikadai's small gift. She unwrapped the purple paper and then opened the small box. She took out the handmade card first, and read it several times to herself. She giggled at his adorable drawing of the sunflower, it was pretty cute how much effort he had put into making the card. She would hang it up with the rest of her precious memorabilia on the mirror in her room. She then peeked inside the box and found a beautiful yellow and orange bracelet. The beads were orange in color with small yellow sunflowers on them. It was the most gorgeous item of jewelry she had ever seen, and to think that Shikadai had made it himself!

She put the bracelet on her wrist, admiring each bead. She had never been interested in gaudy, flashy or expensive jewelry. She didn't like pearl earrings or golden necklaces. Her taste in jewelry was more unique- she often wore vintage or crafty pieces with a variety of colors and styles. She had a "free spirited" taste in jewelry and clothing, as Sarada had pointed out to her once.

Himawari reflected on a time in her past when Shikadai and his parents had come over for dinner at the Uzumaki household. Himawari was 13 at the time, she had just become a chunin a few months earlier. She was wearing a purple shirt and silver shorts with rainbow striped knee-high socks. She wore an orange and yellow beaded necklace to compliment the rainbow socks. Boruto had taken one look at her and claimed that she was 'ridiculous.' Himawari frowned but her father said he liked it, claiming that she had 'spunk.' Himawari was about to change outfits, but the Nara family had just knocked on the door.

At the dinner table that evening, Himawari felt a little left out as her brother and Shikadai spoke about some inside joke and the adults conversed about 'adult things.' She sat next to her brother silently, watching him with a bored expression as she ate her food. Shikadai seemed to notice her, because out of nowhere he glanced at her and said, "wow Himawari, that necklace looks great." He beamed at her which made her blush.

Boruto had rolled his eyes and grinned, "the rest of her outfit is totally bizarre, have you seen what she's wearing?" Naruto heard this and narrowed his eyes at Boruto, which made him quickly say, "oh sorry."

"I think you look unique, I like that." Shikadai said to Himawari before directing himself towards Boruto again. Himawari felt elated for the rest of dinner, and after that night she never doubted her outfits anymore. If someone didn't like what she wore, she didn't care.

Himawari thought that Shikadai's bracelet would match perfectly with that necklace. She wondered if he remembered that particular experience while he was making the bracelet for her…but that was preposterous. That dinner had happened about 5 years ago, there was no way he could remember complimenting her orange and yellow necklace. Either way, she was grateful for his bracelet, and couldn't wait to show it off in front of him and tell him that it was exactly her style of jewelry. _I don't know why he was so worried about it! I love this bracelet, it's the perfect gift!_ She smiled to herself before yawning loudly. She got up and threw herself on her bed, ready to fall asleep. It had been a truly amazing birthday.


	3. Chapter 3: Flee

Naruto faced the two anbu members standing before him in his office with a look of determination. He was sending them on a special A ranked mission. He was counting on them to bring back news about the current situation in the land of sound. Normally a simple spying mission was not A ranked, but he couldn't risk having them caught. With the rumors circling around about the land of sound, Naruto feared something evil was lurking there…he just didn't know what yet.

"We understand our mission hokage," said the masked woman. The masked man, who was about a foot shorter, nodded in agreement. They were both still young, but trustworthy. They had not failed Naruto yet, he knew he could count on these two.

"Remember to stay hidden and out of sight, if anyone catches you…I don't know what might happen. The rumors are that anyone who enters the land of sound is unable to leave." Naruto warned them, "and remember that this mission is top secret, tell no one about it until you report to me. There have been some strange rumors surrounding the land of sound from all shinobi villages…no one else knows about this mission, I don't want suspicions to form within our village."

"Right," said the man in a deep voice.

"Good, I'm counting on you," Naruto said before sending them on their way. As they exited the hokage's office, Naruto sensed his daughter's presence outside the door. She was waiting there, he could sense her nervousness.

"Himawari," Naruto said, trying to ease his voice of the tension he felt, "come in."

Himawari gasped in surprise that her dad had noticed her, she had been careful to hide from the doorway so that she could enter on her own terms. She cautiously stepped inside his office.

Naruto smiled at her warmly, and she gave him a small smile back. She really looked just like her mother, save for the whiskers on her cheeks and her light blue eyes. Himawari had let her hair grow out long, it now reached just past her shoulders. When her hair blew in the wind, he could see the gentle force of Hinata in her, and he was reminded again of the time that he fell in love with his wife.

"Hey dad," Himawari started, "sorry to bother you here, but I just had something on my mind and I need to speak with you about it."

"Yes?" Naruto asked.

"Well…I'm 18 years old now dad. I've been a chunin since I was 12, and yet I've only been on 2 A ranked missions and never an S ranked," she swallowed hard, and then said the next part with more force in her voice, "I want you to stop overprotecting me. I deserve to be sent out on better missions, I'm a lot stronger than you think!"

Naruto was shocked by her angered request. He hadn't expected this from her, he didn't ever suspect that she was unsatisfied as a shinobi. He recalled back to his own youth, and his own quest for power, to be the best. _Hmm,_ he thought, _just like I was, determined to grasp power and beat my rivals. Her determination rivals my own!_

And yet, there was something he found odd about her request, "have you spoken to your teammates Yuri and Kazuki about this?"

Himawari blinked, confused by his question, "No."

"So you come here alone, asking for A and S ranked missions…do you think you can handle a mission like that by yourself?" he followed up.

Her resolve came back, as she spoke with purpose, "Yes, I can handle any mission alone. Please, let me go and I'll show you!"

Naruto closed his eyes, sighing. _Has her team training under Mirai been for nothing? I was once like her though…I thought I could hold the weight of the shinobi world upon my shoulders, it took a while for me to realize that I needed the help of my comrades in the 4_ _th_ _shinobi world war._

Naruto opened his eyes, feeling crestfallen to give his daughter this news, "I am denying your request to send you on A or S ranked missions alone." He knew there was still more for her to learn, one way or another, he would find a way to teach her that teamwork is everything. The reason he had kept her team from these missions in the first place was because he had seen a lack of teamwork among them. It had nothing to do with over protectiveness, as Himawari inaccurately had assumed.

Himawari gasped and said, "what?! Why are you so…overprotective!?"

"I am not overprotective, I know that you are strong. You have the will of fire, I meant what I said last week on your birthday. But every time I review mission reports from your team, I notice a pattern. You outshine your teammates, you do most of the work. You don't rely on them for help, you assume you can do most of it on your own." Naruto said, being honest.

"Ugh!" Himawari cried, "what do I have to do to prove to you that I'm ready for higher level missions?"

"Trust in your comrades. Trust them with your life." Naruto stated.

"Dad I was a chunin before they were, it took Kazuki two more years to reach that level! I've been training extra hard with Mirai, I haven't told you this yet, but I want to become a jonin. She says if I stay determined, I can pass the jonin exam on my first try!" Himawari yelled back.

Naruto couldn't help but smile, "you would make an excellent jonin, you have the strength and the courage," he said, "you only lack in one area…and that skill you lack is something that I cannot teach you. You must learn it on your own."

"Learn what?" Himawari asked. Then she answered herself, rolling her eyes, "if you mean the 'importance of teamwork' dad, then you obviously don't know how much I've trained with Mirai and my team! I've been on tons of missions with Yuri and Kazuki."

"Yes, that is true," Naruto said, "but you still haven't learned the value of trusting in your comrades. You coming here alone proves that."

Himawari's eyebrows furrowed with anger, a look that Naruto did not relish. It seems that she had accepted defeat as she turned around without a word and left the hokage office, slamming the door behind her. Naruto sighed heavily, knowing he would have to deal more with this matter when he got home that evening.

….

Naruto opened the door to his home cautiously, fearing the wrath of his whoever was behind it. He saw his beautiful wife standing in the hallway, holding a basket of laundry. She smiled at him and said, "hey honey."

"Hinata," Naruto said her name in relief, it was always a joy to see her after a long day of work, "where's Himawari?"

"Oh," Hinata said in confusion, "I was about to ask you the same thing, I haven't seen her all day. I thought she must have training today, I was thinking maybe you knew where she was."

Naruto felt his stomach flip uneasily. She couldn't have…

"Boruto!" Naruto called frantically. Boruto came out of his room lazily, with a questioning look. "Have you seen your sister? Where is she?"

"I haven't seen her since breakfast," he admitted, "she told me she was going to talk with you today, and that was it."

Naruto gritted his teeth, "Dammit Himawari!"

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked. Boruto straightened up, looking alert.

"I don't have time to explain, but I think Himawari left the village." Naruto responded. "I have to confirm my suspicions." He took a seat right there in the doorway, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, letting himself focus on the nature chakra around him. He could sense the presence of every village member, and it took him a few minutes to decipher whether or not he could feel Himawari's chakra. When he realized his answer, he got up with a jolt, "she left the village, probably a few hours ago. If I act fast, I can stop her. I have to go, I know just who to send for this urgent mission."

"Wait dad!" Boruto cried, "I should go find her, I'm her brother."

"I need you here, you're not the right man for this job. You care too much for your sister, and if something happens to her you may act irrationally, which could jeopardize her. Trust me Boruto," he said sternly. Boruto nodded. He had learned to respect his father and his father's decisions long ago. Naruto knew that his son trusted him. He nodded his goodbyes to his wife and son and ran out into the night, headed for the Nara household.

He reached their home within minutes, pounding on the door. Shikamaru answered, looking startled to see Naruto there. "I need to speak with Shikadai, it's urgent." Shikamaru nodded and called back for his son, who appeared quickly.

"Shikadai, I have an important mission to assign you, one that you must attend to immediately. I know it's late, but you are the right person for the job. You are a jonin level ninja and your shadow possession jutsu will work well for this mission." Naruto began.

"Alright," Shikadai said, with a readied look on his face, "what is the mission?"

"You must go and find Himawari, bring her back home. She left the village just hours earlier, I suspect she's following two of my anbu members who are headed towards the land of sound. If she tries to interfere with their mission, it could be costly for herself and the anbu. Go now Shikadai, stay silent and hide your presence as best as you can. I suspect that Himawari will be angry and won't want to return. If she refuses, then use your shadow possession jutsu to bring her back home." Naruto explained it all quickly, there wasn't much time to lose.

"Why did she leave?" Shikadai asked, perplexed.

"I don't have time to explain. I trust you Shikadai- stay hidden and keep my daughter safe. I'll go with you to the gates to give the guards permission to let you out of the village. Then you will be on your own." Naruto said. Shikadai nodded, and headed out the door with the hokage.

Naruto and Shikadai ran towards the gates, Naruto quickly briefed the guards and they let Shikadai out of the village. Naruto watched the young jonin rush forward. He swore he saw something spark in Shikadai's eyes, a willpower that he had not previously seen before.


	4. Chapter 4: The Coldest Night

Shikadai's heart pounded heavily against his chest. He ran swiftly through the trees, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any sound or sign that Himawari was close by. _What is she thinking, leaving the village? I wonder what's gotten into her._

He honestly didn't know. Perhaps there were things about her, hidden secrets, that he never knew about. Whatever the reason may be, he was determined to get her back home safely in a timely manner. His motivation was more than just pleasing the hokage, he was truly worried for her. He knew she could handle herself out there, but the way Naruto was pleading with him led him to believe that the anbu team had been sent on a sinister mission. Without knowing the details of that mission, his mind assumed the worst scenarios. He wondered why Himawari wanted to follow these anbu members, what was it that she wanted?

He couldn't let his mind get distracted with these questions, he had to simply press on forward in the hope that he could catch up to her quickly. It seems as though she had gotten a few hours head start, which made this mission troublesome. He wondered how she had even slipped past the guards at the gates of Konoha. She was clever indeed.

He pushed forward with all his might, hoping to catch her before daybreak. As the night wore on, Shikadai did not stop once to take a break or catch his breath. He didn't even know that his body was capable of this kind of endurance. He felt his muscles begin to ache, but his ninja way was to help any comrade in danger, so he ignored the pain and kept going.

When he saw the sunlight peek out over far off mountain tops, he sighed heavily. He had not found her yet, although he could sense that he was close on her trail. He had spotted her footprints and had been following them carefully for the last few hours. She had been careful with her placements, which he had expected. Himawari was clever with her tactics, that much he was certain of.

Shikadai pulled out a food pill from his pouch and quickly swallowed it down to replenish his energy. He kept his eye out on her faded footprints, noticing that she had been less careful about hiding them as she kept going. She must have been in a rush, perhaps she was trying to catch up to the anbu members quickly. Shikadai ran forward with renewed energy from the food pill, it was just the thing he needed to set his body into overdrive.

Shikadai ran through the forest as quietly and as quickly as he could. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for. Up ahead just a short distance away, he could see a faint figure running through the trees. He quickly hid behind some thicker trees, detouring around Himawari's trail so she wouldn't notice him. He followed her silently for many miles, slowly closing the distance between them. _Finally,_ he thought, _I'm almost there._

Himawari jumped down to the ground from the trees quite suddenly, continuing her run on the ground rather than up high through the branches. Shikadai wondered for a split second if she had noticed him, but she didn't turn around or make any obvious signs that she had sensed his presence. He continued forward, crouching low amongst the trees, trying to hide his form even more. He was almost close enough now to reach her with his shadow possession jutsu, even from atop the trees.

He did not hesitate once he was close enough. He created the hand sign and sent his shadow outwards, reaching towards Himawari's feet.

Himawari glanced back with her byakugon activated as she jumped up, narrowly avoiding Shikadai's shadow. She darted away from the shadow on the ground while throwing kunai in Shikadai's direction. He had no choice but to break his jutsu and jump away from her kunai. One of them curved and grazed his cheek lightly, drawing blood. _Dammit she's good, she curved it knowing I would jump to the side._ He jumped down from the tree, revealing himself.

Himawari wore a look of pure fury, "what are you doing here Shikadai?" she yelled. "Do you really think I hadn't noticed you? I was just waiting for you to make your move."

"Himawari," Shikadai said, not giving in to her anger and speaking as calmly as he could, "this will be a lot easier if you turn back with me now and come back to the village."

"So my dad sent you, is that it?" she asked. She pulled forward in an attack mode, ready to strike him with her outstretched hand. "I didn't want to have to do this!" she yelled as she gained speed.

Shikadai jumped away, avoiding her attack. She hit a tree instead, breaking off some bark. Shikadai released his shadow possession jutsu again, hoping to catch her off guard. Once more, she stepped away, the shadow missing her deft feet by mere inches.

She turned towards Shikadai again, ready to strike with her gentle fist. Shikadai ducked to avoid her blow and swung his arms under her feet, tripping her. She fell to the ground with a thud, and he went to pin her down, but she rolled away and got up quicker than he thought was possible. She was light and swift on her feet, much faster than him. How troublesome.

"Sorry Shikadai," she said again, "but I need to do this. I have to prove to my dad that I'm capable of more than what he thinks." Shikadai listened intently while noticing that the sun was almost up at its highest point in the sky. He only needed to keep her stalled a few moments longer before he could reach out his shadow even farther and catch her off guard.

"Yeah," he said, "and how is following an anbu team going to prove anything?"

"They're on an A ranked mission. If I get there first and complete it myself, he'll have to acknowledge my power." She stated.

"You think it's that easy?" Shikadai asked, "what makes you think that he would allow you to take over someone else's mission?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore!" she yelled, rushing forward again in an attempt to push Shikadai out of her way. This was the chance that he had been waiting for.

Himawari stopped suddenly in her tracks, and she looked down in defeat. Shikadai had finally caught her in his shadow possession jutsu. She couldn't move an inch. She gritted her teeth, biting her bottom lip in annoyance. Shikadai noticed in shock that she was holding back tears. He felt his heart pitch uneasily, he felt bad for holding her back. Yet this was his order, and he knew he was doing the right thing by stopping her from going on ahead.

He walked towards her, and her body imitated his motions. He stayed a few feet away and stated, "I'm not just following the hokage's orders. When I heard you left the village, I was worried too."

"I can handle myself." She said. The tears of frustration were beginning to leak forth now, and she couldn't even wipe them away, stuck in her paralysis.

"I know you can," Shikadai said. He noticed her resolve change slightly, her eyes softened a little. "but this is not the right way to show your dad what you can do. Rebelling against him and breaking rules will only prove that you're reckless and stubborn. I know you are strong Himawari, your dad knows it too. There has to be another way to show him how you feel."

"I've already tried talking to him, he won't listen." She said.

"Like I said, there are other ways," Shikadai repeated, "I could help you. If you tell me what's going on, I'll help you think of another way to fix whatever it is that's bothering you. But please, let's get back to the village. I don't want to have to use my shadow to control you the whole way. I want you to make the decision yourself. What do you say?"

Himawari closed her eyes and then sighed to calm herself down. "Fine," she finally said after some thought, "by now I probably wouldn't catch up to them in time anyways."

Shikadai brought his shadow back to himself, still alert just in case she was bluffing. But he could tell there was honesty behind her words. She didn't move, she just stood there looking defeated.

"I should've known he would do this," she said, looking down at the ground. Her tears had stopped flowing, but her eyes still looked sad.

"Himawari, don't beat yourself up over this," Shikadai said, not sure how else to comfort her. Himawari nodded and then turned around towards the direction of Konoha. She sprinted upwards towards the trees. Shikadai followed her, grateful that she had made the right decision.

….

They were silent for most of the trip back. Shikadai followed her as she moved on ahead, leaving a gap between them so that she could have time to herself to think. He knew that whenever he was upset, he usually just needed time alone. He respected her space, and didn't try to start any conversations.

They were moving at a slower rate than their sprint from last night, Shikadai guessed it would take them the rest of the day and all night to travel back to Konoha. But he didn't mind, he didn't want to rush Himawari. He suspected that she might be going slower to avoid the inevitable confrontation with her father when she got back. He understood this and let her move forward in her own pace. He did however notice the gray clouds that were rapidly forming together in the sky. He hoped they would at least be able to beat the storm.

After a few hours of their slow and quiet journey, Shikadai noticed that Himawari's movements had a more labored look, as though she had lost her energy. The lurch in his stomach told him that he was hungry, and his own muscles were aching with fatigue. "Himawari," he called to her, catching up to her. She stopped on a tree branch and faced him, "we should stop and take a break, we've been running all night, and most of the day." She nodded to him and then jumped down off the tree branch and into the cool grass. _Is she giving me the silent treatment?_

Shikadai followed her and unzipped his pack, pulling out items to cook with. He had a small pan and some instant ramen. He began to build a small fire to cook with, pouring some water out of his canteen into his pan. The ramen took only a few minutes, and he poured a bowl for himself and Himawari. She sat across from him, eyeing the ramen with a look of disgust.

"Sorry, I don't have much else," Shikadai said, "I didn't have too much time to prepare before going out," he cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, "I have a granola bar if you'd like that instead."

"It's alright, thank you," she said, holding the bowl in her hands for warmth. She took a sip of it, ignoring the chopsticks he had handed her, and then sighed, "I've just had ramen so much, it's my dad's favorite food. Sometimes I get sick of it."

"Oh yeah," Shikadai said, recalling all the times he had seen the hokage sitting happily at Ichiraku Ramen, "I guess I would get bored of it after a while too."

She took another gulp of the broth and then slurped in a mouthful of ramen with her chopsticks. After swallowing, she said, "actually a warm bowl of ramen is perfect, it's just what I needed, with the sun gone behind the clouds, it's starting to get a little cold. Thanks Shikadai." She gave him a half smile, and he smiled back. He could tell she was still upset, but he was glad to see her smile again, even if it wasn't a full sunshine-Uzumaki-grin.

She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket, and he noticed it had been turned off. She pressed the button to turn it on, and instantly the screen flashed up with what looked like hundreds of notifications. "Ugh," she said, "I should call my dad, he's been trying to reach me since late last night."

"If you don't want to talk to him, I could give him a text on my cell," Shikadai offered, pulling out his phone. His phone was not touch screen, so it looked ancient compared to Himawari's, but it would still function just fine. "I can just relay to him that my mission was a success and that you'll be home by tomorrow."

Himawari nodded in his direction, putting her phone back in her pocket and slurping up more ramen. Shikadai texted Naruto, something he rarely had done before. Within 20 seconds of sending his text, he received a long-winded response from the hokage, who was extremely grateful to Shikadai. That took care of that.

Once they had finished eating, Himawari got up stating that she was ready to get going again. "Are you sure you're ok?" Shikadai asked.

Himawari nodded, "I'll be fine," she said. Shikadai shrugged, packing up his things and following her back through the trees. If she didn't want to talk now, that was her choice.

The clouds overhead were starting to prove troublesome as they grew darker and darker, covering up the sky completely and blanketing them in deep shadows. A low rumbling could be heard in the sky, and the noise continued to get louder as they traveled onwards. Shikadai had a feeling that this was no regular storm.

His suspicions were soon confirmed when he saw the sky light up as a flash of lightning darted across the clouds. The rain began to fall, cold and slow at first. They kept moving forward, a little rain never hurt anyone. But then the rain and wind picked up speed, blowing fast until the rain seemed to come sideways. Another bolt of lightning struck, this time on the ground and not in the sky. That's when Shikadai knew that they would have to stop for the night.

"Himawari!" he yelled over the thunderous roar of the sky, "we need to stop!"

She stopped running and turned back to him, soaked through her core. He was soaked as well, and the thick rain almost prevented him from seeing her clearly. He stopped on the same tree branch as her, "there's no way we can navigate through this storm, it's too dangerous with all this lightning," he said.

Himawari looked up into the clouds with her byakugon, "yeah," she agreed. Then she searched the area around them with her powerful vision and said, "there's a cave a mile or so up this way, c'mon." Shikadai followed her as she let them to shelter.

Once inside the mouth of the small cave, they could finally sigh in relief. They heard another boom and saw a flash of lightning hit a tree in the general direction that they had just come from. Himawari looked at Shikadai and said, "good call, I don't want to take another step in that storm."

"Yeah," Shikadai agreed, "we'll just have to make camp here for the night." Himawari pulled her hair together in her hand and wrung out the water, leaving a small puddle on the floor. Shikadai pulled out his ponytail, letting his wet hair fall forward in his face. He took out a dry towel from his pack, which was water resistant. He used the towel to dry his hair as best as he could and then threw the towel to Himawari. "Here, use this," he told her.

"Thanks," she said, using his full sized towel to dry up her hair and her skin. Shikadai build a small fire in the cave, which helped him to see his surroundings better. He looked out of the cave and saw more lightning strike in various spots around them.

Himawari sat across from him, leaning against the cold cave wall. Shikadai rummaged through his pack and pulled out a soft blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders. He instantly felt comforted by the warmth of the blanket, and he let out a heavy sigh.

They sat in silence for a minute or two. Himawari was looking outside with a blank expression. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, held close to her chest, and Shikadai suddenly noticed that her body was trembling. Although there was a fire, the cold wind steadily blew into the cave, bringing in small droplets of rain. Her body was shaking from the cold.

Shikadai took the blanket off himself, despite his body silently pleading with him not to let it go. But he held it out to her, "here, you're shaking in the cold, have my blanket."

Himawari blinked at him as though coming out of a stupor. She must have been deep in thought, and his gesture had reminded her of where she was. "If I take that then you'll be freezing," she said, "I can see your goose bumps from here."

"I'll be fine," he said, inching forward and insisting that she take the blanket.

Instead of grabbing the blanket from him, Himawari scooted over right next to him, getting close. Very close. "Why don't we just share it?" she asked, "I mean, it would be better for both of us. It's a big blanket." As she said these words, she pulled on the blanket with her hand, adjusting it over the two of them even though he hadn't said 'yes' to her offer. He hadn't refused her either though.

The blanket was now wrapped tightly around both of them. Himawari pulled the edges up to cover their entire form, save for their heads. They leaned against the cave wall with their legs up against their bodies. Himawari rested her head against Shikadai's shoulder and asked, "is this okay?"

Shikadai begged his heart to stop pounding so loudly in its cage, a feat that was impossible in his current situation. "Yes," he finally said in as calm a tone as he could muster, "this is good." He had to admit that he felt much warmer with her body next to his. He cautiously placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in a little closer. She didn't say anything to indicate that this gesture was unwanted, so he left his arm there, letting it relax against her.

"Hey Shikadai," she said after a few moments, "did you mean what you said earlier?"

"Which part?"

"That you would help me…with my current situation," she replied.

"Yes, I meant it," he said truthfully, "how can I help you?"

"Well," she started, choosing her words carefully, "the reason I went out on this crazy mission was to prove to my dad that I'm worthy of going on A and S ranked missions. I've been a chunin since I was 12, but my squad and I have only ever been on 2 A ranked and no S ranked missions. I feel that he's being unfair to me…I want to become stronger." Shikadai listened to her, finally understanding a little better why she had left the village. "Maybe my decision was rash, I made up my mind to leave the village when I was angry. I should've thought more carefully. I should've thought it through, like I know you would."

"There's no point in 'should've' statements," Shikadai said to her.

"Yeah," she said, "but still, I know now that I was wrong. I just want so badly to be strong, to prove to the village that I'm more than just the hokage's precious little baby. I have my eyes set on becoming a jonin, I've been training every day."

"You are very strong," Shikadai told her, "I know your dad realizes it too."

"Yeah…but I can be better, I know it," she turned upwards to look at him, which made his heart stop. Her face was so close to his, he could see every detail. There were still a few droplets of water that clung to her fox-striped cheeks, and her blue eyes were shining with passion. "That's why I need your help. Will you help me train? You're a jonin, and you're the smartest person I know. You can teach me about battle strategies and tricks."

"You want me to help you train?" Shikadai asked with disbelief. He was a jonin, but everyone who knew him well knew he was quite lazy.

Himawari nodded, beaming up at him. He couldn't say no to that face, "sure," he finally said, "I'll help you out as best as I can." She gave him a large smile, the first true Himawari smile he had seen since he had chased her down in the woods. He smiled back at her, and he felt the tiny cut on his cheek from her earlier kunai throw crack open. A bit of blood ran down his cheek slowly.

"Oh no!" Himawari cried, "I forgot about that, I'm so sorry."

She reached up to grab his cheek, but he caught her wrist in his hand and said, "it's okay, really, it's just a small scratch."

"Well let me heal it at least," she said. Then a green glow formed around her palm, and Shikadai felt the little tear in his cheek mend itself.

Shikadai was flabbergasted, "you know medical ninjutsu?!"

Himawari nodded, giggling a bit at his surprise, "yeah, I learned it from Sarada's mom."

"Really? And you're asking me for my help? Are you sure you need any help?" Shikadai asked her with a raised eyebrow. He rubbed his own hand against his cheek, it had been healed back to perfection, his skin was smooth.

"I need all the help I can get if I want to be the best," she said, curling back up against his shoulder. He placed his arm around her again, not sure what to say. She was full of surprises, and he wondered what more he could learn about her.

The fire continued to crackle, although the flame had almost gone out by now. Shikadai was about to ask Himawari if he should rekindle the fire, but he noticed that her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep against his chest. She looked cute resting against him in her slumber, and his heart did another back flip as he watched her steady breathing. He didn't want to disturb her sleep, he was sure she must be quite exhausted from running through the forest all night. He himself was exhausted, so he closed his eyes, finally letting his body rest.


	5. Chapter 5: Come Together

Himawari stroked the paintbrush up and down with a sour look on her face. Her father had punished her by making her repaint the outside of the hokage building. When she got home from her impulsive quest a few days ago, he had hugged her tightly first, which she had not expected. It was a bit embarrassing to be hugged so tightly in front of Shikadai, who excused himself quickly and quietly from the scene. Then Himawari had received the wrath of her father; he held nothing back as he reprimanded her. She expected as much, and was not surprised in the least. She knew there would be a repercussion for her actions, she just didn't expect that she would have to repaint one of the biggest buildings in the village for what she had done.

She sighed, thinking of the many other things she would rather be doing than this tedious task. She could be training with Shikadai or Mirai right now, learning new techniques or battle tactics in preparation for the jonin exams. She smiled to herself, thinking about her first lesson with Shikadai just the other day. She was eager to get started on training with him, and she had begged him to begin their training the day after they arrived back at the village. She knew he had nothing better to do anyways.

"What a drag," he had said. Then he cracked a smirk, "fine, we can start."

She jumped up with joy, asking him what kind of training they were going to do. Shikadai pointed a finger to his head and said, "brain training."

"Huh?" Himawari had stared at him with confusion.

"Let's play a game of shogi," he said, turning in towards his home, leading her inside.

"Shogi? How is that training?" she had asked him.

"Shogi helps in many ways. The game is much like a battlefield. There are thousands of different strategies you can use while playing the game, it takes a lot of reasoning and quick thinking to win the game. You have to be able to think several steps ahead, a skill that can be immensely useful during a shinobi battle," he had explained.

So Himawari gave in, and played 3 rounds of the game with her new teacher. He taught her the game as they went, and she soon caught on. No matter how many steps ahead she thought though, he always had a trick up his sleeve and he always beat her. He was a merciless player, and she couldn't help but feel defeated and a little bitter when she got up to leave his home.

He must have sensed her displeasure in losing 3 games because he said to her, "don't worry Himawari, I've been playing this game with my dad since I was a kid. Do you want to know how many times I've won against him?"

"How many?"

"Only six times. I've probably played with him hundreds of times. He's just that smart. I keep a record of the times I win, but I stopped bothering to count his wins several years ago," Shikadai had a special smirk upon his face, as though he was thinking back on his games of shogi with his father with satisfied nostalgia.

"How is that supposed to make me feel any better? If you can barely beat your dad, then how am I supposed to beat you?"

"The point isn't to win against me. You learn something new each time you play the game, and that knowledge is invaluable when it comes to battle."

"Well, I still want to beat you someday." Himawari had confessed.

"The thing is, I know you will," Shikadai admitted, "You caught on to the game much quicker than I did, I think with some more practice you'll be an even match for me. To be honest, I can't wait for that day. Once you and I are at the same level, it will be a truly interesting game."

His frank words had made her blush furiously and she quickly said her goodbyes to him and his family and left. She never knew that Shikadai had such confidence in her. The way he was talking, it was as if he really thought that her intellect could match his own. _Yeah right!_ She thought, _Shikadai received perfect scores on his academy tests, there's no way I could ever be as smart as him…but I do know if I try hard enough, I could defeat him in shogi! Where there's a will, there's a way._

She painted the next section of the building with renewed vigor, eager to be rid of this task so that she could go train more. She was always yearning to gain more power. Also, now that she was training with Shikadai, it gave her the perfect excuse to hang out with him more.

…

Once she finished her paint job, Himawari retired to home, covered in paint and sweat. She desperately needed to shower before doing any sort of training. After a nice long shower, Himawari felt better. She checked the time, it was only 3:15pm, there was still enough daylight out left for her to do something purposeful today.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Mirai first. It had been a week or two since she'd heard from her team leader. "Hey Hima, I was just about to call you," Mirai said on the other line. "I'm with Yuri and Kazuki at the training grounds by the academy, if you come quick we can get in some practice today before sunset."

"Sure, I'll be right there," Himawari said. She sighed a little at the thought of training with her teammates again. She knew this was what her father wanted, but she often felt that they slowed her down in battle.

Himawari rushed towards the training grounds, dressed up in her best shinobi gear. She found her friends and teammates waiting for her there. She was surprised to see that Shikadai was there as well, speaking with Mirai. She sometimes forgot that Shikadai's dad had been Mirai's master, and that the two of them were close.

"Oh hey Hima," Mirai called. Himawari waved at her and walked forward towards them, "Shikadai was just telling me that you're doing extra training with him, that's excellent. He's going to watch in as you train with our team today."

"Oh," Himawari said, not expecting this, "okay, great."

They wasted no time getting started. As usual, their goal was to defeat Mirai, a high level jonin, in battle. She used her father's chakra blades in battle, and she was extremely skilled with these tools as well as with taijutsu. She stood before the three of them, and they waited for her signal to get started.

Himawari took a deep breath, her hands were raised up, ready for battle. Yuri stood next to her, holding out a kunai. Kazuki stood a few paces behind Yuri, holding out his long blade.

"Begin!" Mirai cried, standing still. Himawari rushed forward, hands outstretched to hit Mirai with her gentle fist. Mirai side swept, avoiding the attack with general ease.

Then Yuri threw two kunai at Mirai, who blocked both of them with her chakra blades. She threw one of her chakra blades at Kazuki, who had no choice but to block it with his sword. The clash of metal against metal clanged loudly in the clearing. Himawari thought this was her chance, and she rushed forward again, this time hitting her mark. Her fist pressed up against Mirai's shoulder, knocking her back a few steps. 

Mirai sneered at Himawari before her figure changed shape into a wooden log. "Dammit!" Himawari cried, "a substitution!"

"Byakugon!" Himawari yelled, looking all around for her opponent. She quickly spotted her behind a thicket of bushes and trees, and advanced. She threw her fists forward, chakra flowing through them to form her twin lion fists, a technique she had learned from her mother. Mirai cleverly stepped away at the last second and pushed her chakra blade up against Himawari's face, just an inch away. Himawari's right fist was placed precariously up against Mirai's stomach, about two inches away. "Looks like we've met an impasse," Mirai said.

Himawari did not answer, instead, she pushed her fist forward towards Mirai's gut while swerving her face away from the blade, hitting her in the stomach. Mirai gave a mischievous smile as she grabbed Himawari's wrist. The hit must have hurt her, but somehow she was still able to muster up the energy to grab hold of Himawari. "How!?" Himawari hissed.

"I knew you would still go for the blow, so I gathered up all my chakra energy in my belly to defend against your attack. You didn't even notice that my chakra build up had changed. Even with those eyes you are still blind Himawari, you need to remember to think about how your opponent will defend against your attacks, you think too much about your own movements." Mirai said in a stern lecture.

Himawari twisted her wrist out of Mirai's grip and pulled back several feet. "Another thing," Mirai said, "you probably would have been able to hold me down if you had help. You used your byakugon cleverly to spot my location, you could have told your teammates where I was, maybe you three could have formed an attack plan or created an ambush."

Himawari sighed, it was obvious that Mirai had gotten a talking to from her father. "Are we done then?" Himawari asked, already turning back to head over towards Yuri, Kazuki and Shikadai who were watching from the training ground.

Mirai followed Himawari out of the thicket of trees. They began a new battle, with similar results. Himawari tried her best to let her teammates help her, but no matter what she did, they just didn't click. She couldn't get Yuri to advance forward when the time was right, and Kazuki kept using his sword to defend and protect in battle, rather than to attack. Himawari yelled various orders at them, but Yuri and Kazuki did not respond to them. At one point, Yuri yelled out "who made you team leader Himawari?! Why are you calling all the shots?"

"Yeah," Kazuki agreed, "we should work together, you haven't listened to any of our advice."

"Well why won't you listen to me?" Himawari shouted back. During all their bickering, Mirai rushed forward and knocked out the kunai and sword from Yuri and Kazuki's hands, then she kicked out a leg and tripped Himawari. The movement happened in a split second, catching the three of them off guard.

"You three would be dead if this was a real battle," Mirai said, sighing. "The hokage is right. The three of you are strong, but you lack good teamwork." Mirai rounded on Himawari, who had just gotten up off the ground, "Himawari, Yuri and Kazuki work well together, you're the one who seems to be having a difficult time trusting in your comrades."

"What, me?" Himawari was angered by this remark. She had been feeling enraged by all the accusations thrown at her lately, and she couldn't take it anymore. She turned her heel and stormed away before she said anything else that might be hurtful towards her team. Although they had made her upset, they were still her friends. She knew when it was best to walk away, and to avoid unwanted bickering. She needed a chance to cool off.

She headed towards the lone swing that hung on a tree outside of the academy entrance. She took a seat on the swing, still feeling her veins pulse with adrenaline from battle. She took several deep breaths, exhaling slowly to calm her nerves. Lately, it felt that even the smallest thing could set her off in anger. Himawari closed her eyes, thinking about all the training she had endured to get to this point in her life.

When Himawari opened her eyes, she jolted a little in her seat. She did not expect to see Shikadai standing before her, nor did she expect to see him standing so closely.

"Well," he said, "that was a little rough, huh?"

"Yeah," was all Himawari could think to say. She began to rock back and forth on the swing slowly, watching her feet twirl in the dirt.

"You know, Mirai has a good point there," Shikadai said, careful with his words, "I think you could learn something from your teammates."

"I already know their techniques," Himawari said.

"Oh yeah," Shikadai said, "enlighten me, I don't know your comrades well, what kind of techniques do they use?"

"Yuri's special ninjutsu is water release, she can create water clones or use her special technique, the water serpent if there is enough water nearby…of course there's no lake or ocean by the training grounds here, so she usually uses her kunai, which is her favorite weapon of choice. As you saw with Kazuki, he's a sword user, he's skilled with a number of swords and can even weild two at once…but he's so careful in battle, and pretty slow on his feet, so he usually uses his swords in defense rather than offense. His special technique is called raging sword storm, he can create a chakra flow around two swords, similar to the way Mirai's chakra blades work. Then he spins the swords in his hand, creating a false mirage to the opponent, he spins them so fast that the opponent can't see where his swords really are. He can use that to his advantage to strike." Himawari didn't know why she was explaining all of this to Shikadai, she didn't know how this could help her out in any way.

Shikadai nodded, "wow," he said, "it sounds like you have some pretty powerful comrades."

"But you saw the way they fought out there!" Himawari cried, "they didn't use any of their great techniques, they would rather take it slowly and cautiously, and they tried to tell me what to do."

"Well, you did rush forward on your own when the battle started, you didn't take a chance to form a plan with your comrades…and you ignored them again once you found Mirai with your byakugon. You didn't notice it, but Yuri and Kazuki were communicating with each other each step of the way, they would look at each other, nodding or shaking their heads. You were the one acting rashly, moving forward without noticing your teammates." Shikadai said.

Himawari stopped her slow rocking on the swing and stared up at Shikadai with a hurt look, "So you're blaming me too?"

"No one is blaming you for anything Himawari," Shikadai said, "I'm just trying to help you see things objectively. You wanted my help, and my advice. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm just telling you honestly how I saw things in the battle." Himawari nodded, showing him that she understood. He was right, perhaps she was a little rash in battle. She needed to think more steps ahead, and she needed to work more closely with her comrades.

Shikadai coughed a little and then continued, "that being said though, you showed great strength out there."

Himawari glanced up at him, noticing a slight pink tint on his cheeks, "you really think so?"

"Yeah," Shikadai said, "Your gentle fist technique and the twin lions, it's really a sight to behold. You're quick on your feet, you move fast and you're skilled with avoiding attacks. I'm not sure where you learned your footwork from, but it's pretty amazing to watch."

Himawari beamed up at him brightly, the tension she felt in the pit of her stomach after the irksome battle came loose, and she felt her shoulders relax. Shikadai, once again, was acknowledging her power and declaring her a great shinobi.

She glanced down at her watch, it was already close to 5. "Hey Shikadai," she said, then cleared her throat to remove the nervous lump there, "would you like to come get some food with me? I know it's a little early, maybe we can grab some dango or something. I think I've had enough training for today, but maybe you and I can talk about different battle strategies or something. I mean, if you're not busy."

"Sure," Shikadai said, his green eyes were shining brightly in the evening sun. "Dango sounds great."

"Oh dango! Can we come too!?" Yuri, Kazuki and Mirai were walking up towards them and had overheard Shikadai. Himawari felt slightly crestfallen, she had hoped to spend some alone time with Shikadai. Shikadai was a nice guy though, so of course he said 'yes' to Yuri.

The five of them decided to get some dango. They spoke about a variety of topics, but did not talk about their earlier training. Mirai did not stay long, she had to get back to her mother and help prepare dinner, as they were having guests over. Shikadai sat quietly with Himawari and her teammates, drinking tea and only saying a few things here and there. He could be quite silent sometimes, staring off into the distance in thought. She wondered what he was daydreaming about. She once caught him looking at her as he leaned his head against his hand, but when he saw her notice him, he quickly glanced away, trying to hide the fact that he had been staring at her. She suppressed a giggle and continued her conversation with her buddies.

After eating, they departed their separate ways. Shikadai walked Himawari home, as it was on his way. It was a short walk, but Himawari was grateful to finally have a chance to spend a few moments alone with Shikadai, even if it was brief. "So, um, thanks again for watching me today," Himawari said, unsure how else to break the silence between them.

Shikadai said, "no problem, since I'm helping you train I thought I should come and see you in action."

"Yeah," Himawari agreed, "although you did get to see some of my battle action in the woods last week…sorry again that I was so harsh."

Shikadai waved a hand at her, as if to say 'no big deal.' "You were mad, I understand." He said.

Himawari stared up at him, noticing again how beautiful his green slanted eyes were. She felt like she could stare into those eyes for days on end. "You are really cool Shikadai," she said, feeling breathless. She immediately regretted saying this, it had sort of just popped out of her mouth before she could think about it. She turned away from him in embarrassment, although she did notice that he had blushed a deep red in reaction to her words.

He gave a tiny cough into his hand and said, "Nah, I'm not that cool. I'm really pretty lazy if you want to know the truth." Himawari laughed at his statement, she often heard from Boruto about his friend's lazy demeanor.

They reached the Uzumaki household, and Shikadai stopped to say goodbye to her. "So, I guess I'll see you soon then," he said.

"Yeah definitely," Himawari agreed, "I have to keep practicing if I want to beat you in shogi."

"Yeah," Shikadai laughed, "That's right." He turned to leave, but Himawari grabbed his wrist gently and turned him around. She gave him a big hug, holding him in close. He hugged her close to him too, she could feel his nervous hands slide gently up and down her back.

Himawari broke apart from the hug and said, "I'm just really grateful for all your help, so, um, thanks again. Have a good night!"

Shikadai seemed rooted on the spot for a second. He blinked to awaken his senses and then finally turned around, "alright, yeah, good night!" he called as he walked, ever so slowly, away from the Uzumaki household.


	6. Chapter 6: Fatherly Advice

Shikadai felt as though he had to catch his breath when he walked into his home. That girl was really becoming quite troublesome. He thought again about Himawari's smile, and that heartfelt hug she had given him when saying goodbye. He placed a hand on his cheek, feeling that the flesh there was hot and flushed. He took another deep breath to try to calm his fast beating heart. She had even told him he was _cool._ He gave a little nervous laughter under his breath, how on earth did she find him cool?

He slowly walked forward into his household, and sat himself on his favorite comfy chair in the living room. He could hear his mother bustling around in the kitchen, preparing dinner. He could hear his father in there too, they were talking lightly. He didn't say anything or warn them of his presence, he just laid there on the chair for quite some time, thinking about Himawari.

His father walked in from the kitchen, saying something to his mom and then stopping suddenly when he saw Shikadai. "Oh Shikadai," he said, "I didn't know you were home yet. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."

Shikadai nodded, his mind was still bogged down with thoughts of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. As he sat on that couch, he had realized just how strikingly gorgeous Himawari Uzumaki was. He recalled watching her fight earlier, and how he had been reminded again of her graceful force and fiery power in battle. Her dark shining hair had caught his attention as it blew around in the wind. The vigorous look in her piercing blue eyes never ceased to amaze him. He even found the little lines on her cheeks adorable. Her determination and will to become stronger made Shikadai admire her even more. She was willing to put forth the hard work to meet her goals, and he looked up to her strong willpower. It was something he sometimes lacked in himself.

He also thought again about how much they had in common. They had the same taste in music, which he thought was really amazing. He had rarely found anyone else who shared his specific taste in music, Shikadai was quite picky when it came to music, books and other forms of entertainment. Himawari was also the nicest girl he had ever met, with the exception of her battle front- she could really be quite mischievous and wicked on the battlefield. Shikadai smiled to himself, her fighting style was also something he admired about her.

Then there was the time in the cave when she had snuggled up close to him for warmth. He didn't know how he had gotten any sleep that night, he remembered feeling his heart flutter and thrum against his chest, ready to burst out. Having her that close, holding her in and taking in her scent, it had all felt like a dream. He thought back to that time while he sat there motionless on the chair, and he groaned a little in his throat, wishing he could go back to that moment and hold onto it forever.

"Ah, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked his son. Shikadai looked up, he hadn't realized that his dad was still standing there.

Shikadai felt his face flush slightly as he quickly rambled out, "Oh yeah, I'm fine dad. Dinner in an hour, got it."

His dad eyed him carefully, "are you sure you're alright?"

Shikadai nodded, and then sighed. He had to talk about this with someone, or else he might burst. His dad just happened to be there at the moment, and he figured he could use some fatherly advice. "Hey dad, um," he cleared his throat and tried again, "how did you…ask mom out for a date? How did you know when the right time was? Or what to say?" he felt slightly embarrassed asking his dad these questions, but he was desperately searching for any guidance that might put his troubled heart at ease. He felt as though he had no idea how to approach Himawari anymore, being around her was becoming too troublesome for him because he felt like turning into a pile of mush when he was around her lately.

"Oh," Shikamaru said, surprised by these questions. He took a seat across from Shikadai, wearing a small smile on his face as he thought back to his first few encounters with Temari. "Well, your mother helped me out immensely through a lot of my missions when I was younger."

"Yeah I know that dad," Shikadai said, "she's told me hundreds of times how she saved you from that sound ninja during the Sasuke rescue mission. She also told me that she had to save you from that guy in the land of silence."

"Huh, so that's how she put it?" Shikamaru laughed a little to himself, "she isn't wrong though, without her I may not be here today. But it was right after that mission in the land of silence, that's when I first asked your mother out on a date. Gaara was leading the rest of the sand ninja away, and I asked to speak with Temari alone. I asked her out to get dinner sometime, and she smiled back at me. That's when I knew."

"Knew what?" Shikadai asked.

"That she was the woman for me," Shikamaru explained.

"But how did you know that it was the right time to ask her out on a date? How did you know she would say yes?" Shikadai asked.

"Well, I didn't really know if it was the right time or not, and I didn't even think about the possibility of her saying no…I mean, she could have said no, but she didn't. I just knew at the time that I wanted to ask her out, so I did." Shikamaru said.

"But dad, you're an analytical guy, you always think things through hundreds of steps ahead…and you're telling me you didn't have a plan for this, you just spontaneously asked out mom on the spot?" Shikadai was beside himself with surprise.

"Yeah, that's right," Shikamaru agreed, "look, when it comes to women, it's best not to have a thought out plan…they throw all of that out the window. When the right woman comes along and smiles at you in that certain way, it's pretty hard to think several steps ahead or to make a plan." Shikadai nodded, knowing exactly how that felt. That was the way Himawari made him feel.

"I think the best advice I can give you is to go with your heart, and let things happen when they happen," Shikamaru continued, "I know that advice contrasts to most of the other things I've taught you for battle, but with women going with your heart is the best thing to do." Shikadai nodded, demonstrating his understanding. He was glad that his dad hadn't asked him the inevitable question of who Shikadai wanted to ask out for a date. His father seemed to understand him in that way, he always knew what questions were okay to ask and what was taboo. His mother was quite the opposite, she was pretty nosy sometimes.

Shikamaru got up, realizing that their little conversation was over. "Oh," he said, as if he remembered something else important, "one more thing."

"Yeah, what's that?" Shikadai asked.

"When I asked out your mom, I didn't have to worry about asking her parents for permission since they had already passed away long ago. But for you, it would be a nice gesture to ask her father for permission to date his daughter." Shikadai felt his heart clench tightly at the thought of asking the hokage for permission to date his daughter. Shikamaru added one more thought before walking back into the kitchen, "don't worry though Shikadai, I know Naruto likes you, I'm sure he will give you the permission," Shikamaru smiled warmly at his son before disappearing behind the corner.

Shikadai felt a little lightheaded from his conversation with his father. _How does he know I like Himawari? Is it that obvious? Is it obvious to her?_ It seemed that talking with his dad had raised more questions than answered. How troublesome.


	7. Chapter 7: New Mission

Himawari was surprised at being called into her dad's office for a new mission. She was even more shocked to hear that it was just her, Yuri and Kazuki didn't get called in. "Really?" she asked Mirai.

Mirai nodded, "the hokage has a special mission for you, he'd like you to report to the office right away." Himawari departed, there was no time to waste if she was needed right away.

Himawari pushed in the doors to her father's office, surprised to see team Ino-Shika-Cho inside. "Hey," Shikadai said, smiling at her.

Naruto nodded at them all and said, "good, everyone is here. I have a new assignment for the four of you. It's an A ranked mission, could be an S ranked depending on how things turn out." Himawari let out a small gasp of surprise. Naruto continued, "This mission will involve the four of you traveling out to the land of sound. I just recently heard back from a team of anbu members, they reported to me about the current situation there. As you all probably know, there have been some nasty rumors going around about the land of sound, rumors that a few of Orochimaru's old henchmen have taken over the land, overthrowing their feudal lord and current leader. Unfortunately, those rumors are true."

"Hmm," Shikadai said, deep in thought, "what kind of opponents will we be dealing with then?"

"According to my source, there's one leader who's in charge, and he's currently cast a jutsu on all the people of the land of sound, keeping them under control." Naruto explained.

"What?" Cho asked, "how could he cast a jutsu on the entire land? And how can he keep them under his control for so long? Is it some sort of genjutsu?"

Naruto nodded, "yes, more than likely, it's a genjutsu. Himawari, that's why you'll be of importance for this mission," Naruto was looking directly at her, and she nodded firmly, "with your byakugon, you can see the chakra flow, and you'll be able to figure out how he's using his genjutsu and how to stop it. Once that's done, then you'll all be able to restore order to the land and capture the man who did this."

"What do we know about the enemy?" Shikadai rephrased his question from earlier, "do we have any clue about their name or powers?"

"Yes, my anbu were able to capture a villager and gain some information, although it's limited. This genjutsu erased parts of the man's memory once it was released, making it tricky to follow what happened. We know that the enemy goes by the name Genzo. According to the villager, Genzo is a very powerful man. We don't know how many henchmen and followers he has, all we know is that the people of the land of sound are placed under his jutsu. The reason this mission is A ranked is because of the uncertainty of what we're up against. You'll need to make each movement carefully, and think out a plan and a back up before going in. That's why I chose you as the leader for this mission, Shikadai." Naruto explained while looking into Shikadai's green eyes, full of determination.

"Yes sir," Shikadai said, "we'll learn more about what's going on before we jump in."

"Good, go prepare yourselves, you can meet at the gates to leave by noon today. You should reach the land of sound within a day or two." Naruto said, dismissing them. Himawari and the others walked out, but she heard her dad say, "Oh and Shikadai, can I have a word with you in private?" She walked out, wondering what on earth her dad needed to talk to Shikadai about.

….

Himawari was ready at the gates of Konoha at 11:50, she was the first one there. Inojin and Cho meandered up to her a few minutes later and Shikadai came running up, just barely making it in time. Once they were all accounted for, the four of them headed out, following behind Shikadai their leader.

They ran in silence, staying alert and careful in case they came across any enemies. Shikadai told them he doubted they would reach any trouble on their way, the leader Genzo did not seem to realize that any shinobi were suspicious of the land of sound yet.

They stopped to eat when it was dark, the sun had already set a few hours earlier. "We can eat and then rest here for the night, get a fresh start in the morning," Shikadai told them as he pulled out his sleeping bag.

"Ugh finally! I've been waiting to eat," Cho complained, grabbing a bag of chips from her bag.

Himawari got started on making the fire and some food for them. Cho thanked her many times as Himawari poured out bowl after bowl of her easy-to-make soup. Himawari was so busy chatting with Cho and Inojin and eating, that it took her a few moments to realize Shikadai was not there. "Where did Shikadai go?" she asked, startled.

Cho pointed her finger out in the direction behind Himawari, as her mouth was once again stuffed with food. Himawari turned around and saw Shikadai's figure a few yards away in the grass. He was laying down in the grass casually, an empty bowl and spoon laid next to him. Himawari got up and walked over towards him.

"Hey there," she said, leaning down, "what are you doing?"

"Oh hey Hima," Shikadai said, looking up at her, "I was just looking up at the sky."

Himawari sat down and then laid next to him, "looking at the sky? But isn't it hard to see the clouds now that it's nighttime?"

"Ah, cloud gazing is nice, but I actually prefer looking up at the stars," Shikadai admitted. Himawari turned to look at him and smiled, "I know it sounds kind of lame, but it's quite relaxing for me."

"Oh no, I don't think it's lame at all. The stars really are beautiful," Himawari said as she looked back up. Out here in the woods, away from the village, she could see many more stars than usual. The sight was truly breathtaking.

They sat in silence for a little while, admiring the beauty of the sky. Then Himawari nudged him, "Hey Shikadai, show me some constellations."

"Huh?" he said, looking at her in bewilderment, "who ever said that I know any constellations?"

"You're a smart guy!" Himawari said while laughing lightly, "show me which ones you know." Shikadai sighed but then scooted himself closer to her, and his arm pressed up against hers. Himawari felt the heat rise on her face, and she was grateful that it was too dark for Shikadai to see her blush. He could probably hear her heart thrumming though.

Shikadai pointed up towards the sky, tracing out the stars into a swoop, "right there," he said, "Is Orion's belt." He pointed out at another cluster of stars and said, "that over there is a centaur."

"That's a centaur?" Himawari questioned him, "you're just making that up aren't you?"

Shikadai chuckled, "nope, that cluster right there, a cross and a swoop. That's a centaur."

Himawari laughed harder, "you're full of crap and you know it!" Shikadai laughed with her, the two of them found it quite amusing. Himawari rolled onto her side with laughter, facing Shikadai. They calmed down and then looked at each other with bright smiles. Himawari gazed into his green glimmering eyes, and he gazed back into hers. Somehow, it didn't seem awkward for either of them as their eye lock continued. Himawari felt her chest fill with warmth as she continued to stare into his eyes. Himawari took a quick glance down to Shikadai's lips, which were parted slightly. She wanted desperately to lean in and kiss him.

"You can really get lost looking up at the stars, can't you?" Inojin's voice jolted both Shikadai and Himawari, who thought that they were in relative privacy. Himawari quickly pulled away and looked back up at the night sky. She felt Shikadai turn his head forcefully back up towards the stars as well. _Dammit Inojin! You had to comment at a time like this?_

"H-how long have you been there Inojin?" Shikadai asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

"Oh," Inojin said, as though he just noticed their presence. He was sitting on the other side of Shikadai, looking upwards with that clueless expression he so often wore, "I just plopped in a few moments ago. I don't think that's a centaur either Shikadai."

Himawari felt her face flush even harder at Inojin's words, he must have heard their entire conversation and yet he just sat there as if nothing was going on. He really was clueless sometimes.

"Anyways," Shikadai said as he got up, "we have to get up early, I'm going to sleep. You take first watch Inojin, wake me up in an hour." Himawari sighed, wishing Shikadai had stayed a moment later.

Himawari glared at Inojin, who was still sitting next to her with a happy grin. "What?" he asked. Himawari exhaled, she couldn't be mad at Inojin, he was really quite innocent.

"Nothing," Himawari said, "I'm getting to bed too, see you." With that, she got up and pulled out her sleeping bag, thinking again about those green eyes and wondering what it would feel like to feel Shikadai's lips against hers.

…

The next day, they got up early and departed with few words exchanged. Shikadai briefed them on how they would approach the area around the land of sound-with extreme caution. Once close, Himawari was going to use her byakugon to scope out the area and see what's going on.

They stopped once for a quick lunch and then headed out again, hurried to get to their destination. Finally, at around 4pm, the land of sound came into view in the distance. They stopped in a tree and stared ahead at the many villages full of tiny people from their distant view.

"Alright Himawari," Shikadai said, "let's see what those eyes of yours can do."

"Byagukan!" Himawari's magnified vision allowed her to see with detail into the villages, and she immediately noticed something strange. There was a cloud of chakra all around the air. She followed the stream of chakra flow, and noticed that all of it emanated from large poles situated in the cities. Suddenly, it clicked. "I know how he's casting his genjutsu on everyone!"

"Wow, you deciphered that already?" Cho sounded impressed.

"I can see the chakra everywhere, and it's coming from the poles with speakers on them." Himawari explained.

"Oh," Shikadai said as he understood.

"I don't get it," Cho said flatly.

"It's the music playing from the speakers, it's a genjutsu. They constantly play it over the speakers, so the people of the villages are forever placed under its spell," Himawari explained. Then she turned to Shikadai, "so what do we do?"

"We turn up our own music even louder," he said with a smirk.

"Hmm, sounds like you already have a plan," Inojin said knowingly.

"Yup, I have several different scenarios, now listen carefully," Shikadai said, pulling his group in together so they could listen to him.

…

Himawari plugged in the ear buds of her mp3 and turned the music up loud, almost to the point where it hurt as it rang through her eardrums. She knew it was necessary though, in order to drown out whatever was playing on the loudspeakers. Himawari pulled up her hood over her head and walked behind Inojin, who was drawing furiously on his scroll. They were walking up towards the front gates of the village, where two guards stood, watching them carefully.

Before the guards could utter a word, Inojin's super beast mimicry cartoons jumped out of the page. The two tigers pinned down the guards, who probably yelped loudly. Himawari wasn't sure, she could only hear the loud blast of the music in her ears.

Cho popped out from behind a bush with her partial expansion jutsu, covering both guards' mouths with her wide hand. She knocked them out with her other hand, careful not to injure them too hard. They were under a genjutsu, and Shikadai warned them all to be careful with handling the villagers.

Once the guards looked peacefully asleep, Shikadai emerged from behind a tree, giving them a thumbs up. All of them were listening to their music, so Shikadai had taught Himawari a few hand signs that team Ino-Shika-Cho often used in battle. Himawari was surprised that they had created such an intricate communicating system. They had numerous hand signs, and she had to try to remember the basic ones as best as she could for this mission.

They opened the gates and walked through, dispersing themselves throughout the crowd. Himawari used her byakugon to scope out the area. She saw the chakra around them, like a cloud of poison. She quickly found what she was looking for and headed that direction. Her comrades followed her from a safe distance away, trying not to alert anyone of their actions. She walked casually, trying to blend in and act like a villager.

Himawari stared up at the graying building before her, she was sure that this was where the radio broadcasting was coming from. In there was the solution to ending this miserable genjutsu placed on the innocent villagers. As Shikadai had predicted, there were some shady looking guys standing around outside the building, guarding it. His prediction that Genzo was inside was probably going to be right too.

Right on cue, Himawari saw the guards turn their head towards something over to the left, as though they had heard something loud. Inojin had sent thousands of his cartoon rats out in the crowd, which startled the people, leading them to scream in terror. Shikadai nodded slightly in Himawari's direction, and she took her chance. With the distraction in place, the guards around the building walked away, trying to find the source of the commotion. Himawari quickly sneaked into the building, slipping past the doors with ease.

Once inside, Himawari used her gentle fist to knock out two more guards. She looked around with her byakugon, and soon spotted the control room upstairs. She saw two bodies in there, one controlling the music and the other standing by menacingly. Himawari crept up the stairs with silent steps.

She busted the door open, surprising the two men inside. The man who was standing went after her, trying to punch her. She deflected his hit and swung her own arm around, hitting him in the gut. Her music blared loudly, one of her favorite songs came on. She smiled to herself as the man crouched down in pain.

The other man sitting with the controls looked frightened. Himawari knocked him out of her way easily, and then looked at the motherboard of controls and gadgets, trying to figure out how to stop the radio broadcast. She soon spotted a big red button, and she pushed it. She saw the man on the ground look up at her in horror, but then his look changed. He blinked in confusion trying to ask her something. She still couldn't hear what he said as the music in her ears continue to blare loudly, she had to make sure she had ceased the genjutsu. She used her byakugon to look out beyond the building and into the open area outside. The chakra cloud from before was no longer there, confirming that she was successful with her mission.

Himawari took out the ear buds, relieving her aching ears. She was about to try to say something comforting to the two men on the ground, when the door to the room burst open again. A large man with bulging muscles and a menacing snarl stared at Himawari with blood red eyes of fury. "Who turned off the music!?" he asked in a growl while reaching for the controls.

Himawari beat him to it. She punched the control board with all her might. She watched the sparks fly up and gears come loose as the control board broke into many pieces. When she lifted her hand back up, she noticed her knuckles were torn and bleeding.

The man ran towards Himawari now with deft speed. He was definitely a shinobi. She dodged him, trying to get back to the door. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she punched up against his nose, making him release her. "Oh no you don't!" he yelled, grabbing his hands out again in an attempt to stop her.

Himawari ran out the door and down the stairs. The man followed her, he was almost as quick as she was. At the bottom floor, Himawari glanced towards the doors to the outside, wondering where the others were. They were supposed to be inside the building by now. It looked as though she would have to fend this guy off on her own.

 _Hm, that'll be no problem,_ she thought to herself. She readied herself, raising her arms up in a battle stance. The man looked at her with pure hatred. _I'll incapacitate this guy and then force him to tell me where Genzo is._

Himawari's pursuer stopped in the middle of the stairs, and stared at her with a mischievous smirk. "Who are you, you insolent little brat?" he asked her, "and how dare you turn off our radio broadcast!?"

Himawari smirked wickedly back at him, but did not answer him. He stepped down a few stairs, still looking right at her face, "Those stripes on your cheek…they are quite strange. I've heard that they are a tell-tale sign of the current hokage of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki." Himawari was surprised that he knew this, but she kept her look of determination and did not falter at his words. "That forehead protector that you wear as a headband has the symbol of Konoha. I think it's safe to assume that you are the daughter of Naruto Uzumaki." Himawari did not like the malicious grin that he gave after he said this.

"And you must be Genzo," Himawari said, still standing in her readied pose.

The man smiled impishly again and then did something that Himawari did not expect. He began to whistle a low, melodious tune. He slowly walked down the stairs as he whistled, looking relatively calm.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Himawari asked him. He was approaching her slowly. Once he got within a few feet of her, she tried to move forward to attack him. That's when she noticed that she was rooted on the spot and could not move an inch. His whistling had cast a paralysis genjutsu on her!

"I see you finally figured it out, Uzumaki," the man said. He whistled once more and then added in a sing song voice, "you were clever to figure out the source of my genjutsu on the villagers, but you are daft if you think that that is my only weapon," he whistled the tune again, it felt like acid in Himawari's ears. She kept trying to move her muscles, but they continued to fail her. He whistled while he moved her arms down to her sides. Then he cackled madly, holding a kunai knife right around her neck. The whistling began again, and Himawari felt the heaviness of her own body as it screamed to be released. She had gotten herself into a dangerous situation, and her comrades were nowhere to be seen. _Please Shikadai,_ she begged silently in her head, _I don't think I've ever asked a comrade for help before, but I need help now! Please help Shikadai._ The whistling grew louder in her head, drowning out her thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8: Formation Ino-Shika-Cho

Shikadai glanced around nervously after Himawari slipped into the building. Inojin's cartoon rats were working like a charm- most of the townspeople had scattered away and the guards were frantically trying to shoo the rats into the gutters. Shikadai watched the faces of the villagers, looking for any tell tale sign that the genjutsu was broken.

He didn't have to wait long. He noticed the effect instantly when the guards looked up at the radio towers and when the villagers stopped in their tracks, looking around with a dazed and confused look, as though they had just woken from a trance. Shikadai cautiously took one earplug out, then the other. He gave the signal to Cho and Inojin.

The three of them made their way towards the doors of the building that Himawari had slipped into just moments ago. Shikadai reached out a hand to open the door, but his hand was knocked away by the sharp pain of something spiky. A shuriken. He turned to see one of the guards running towards him. Behind him, Inojin and Cho were already in battle with two other guards.

Shikadai pulled out his kunai and struck at the female guard advancing on him. She narrowly missed his attack, trying to counter with her fist. Shikadai stepped back before she could hit him. He glanced down at his right hand, noticing the blood flowing forth from her shuriken. _What a drag._

The woman rushed forward again, but Shikadai was better prepared this time. He sent his shadow outwards, and reached her feet just in time. She stopped just a foot away from him, paralyzed by his shadow possession jutsu. "What the hell?" she cried, looking at him with fury.

"Now that I've got you here," Shikadai said, "I'd like you to answer a few questions for me."

She gave a deep chortle, "Yeah right, just who the hell do you think you are?" She struggled again to move, but it was pointless. Shikadai began sending a shadow hand up towards her neck.

"Perhaps this will help you loosen your tongue," he said, "Now, where can I find your leader?"

She didn't answer him. He squeezed her neck just a little with his shadow hand, and she gritted her teeth. "You leaf brats all think you're entitled. Just because your hokage is the famous Naruto, you think you're invincible, is that it?"

"I don't know where you get that idea from," Shikadai replied, "all I need to know is how to stop rebels like you from taking over this land. All these innocent people were placed under a horrible genjutsu, and someone needs to pay for that crime. Tell me where I can find Genzo."

"Hah!" she cried madly, "You know nothing of Genzo's powers and of his brilliant plan! Go ahead and kill me if you can. There's already enough pain in this world, pain that was buried and forgotten by the so called 'peace of the shinobi.' You're a fool if you think the five great nations are truly at rest and peace."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Shikadai asked her. She seemed to enjoy talking in reverence over her master.

"There will never be true peace with Naruto around. You do realize that he's the jinchuriki of all the tailed beasts? No one should contain that much power," she explained.

Shikadai narrowed his eyes and stretched his shadow hand around her neck again, squeezing it a little. Then he saw something from his peripheral vision, and he jumped back just in time. The guard fighting Inojin had seen Shikadai and thrown his kunai. Shikadai barely missed the weapon that was chucked at his head, but in the process, his shadow possession jutsu on his captive was released. _Darn it!_ He thought _I was getting close to hearing what their plan was, I could feel it._

Before he could send out his shadow again, another loud sound stole his attention. The booming of the doors as they slammed open made everyone turn their heads. Standing in the doorway was a large, malicious looking man with short brown hair and an evil grin. His muscles bulged beneath his shirt. He was holding Himawari, and had a kunai placed against her neck. Shikadai felt his heart in his throat as he looked at the scene in horror.

"Genzo!" cried the woman Shikadai had contained with his shadow possession jutsu just moments before. She ran towards him, and he placed a hand up, stopping her actions.

"Enough fighting," he said, "these brats may have stopped my radio transmission, but they will not stop me. Behold," he held out Himawari as if she was some kind of prize, "the daughter of Naruto Uzumaki."

The woman yelped with a wicked pleasure and the other two guards looked upon her with malevolence. "Now," he demanded, "You three listen to me or I'll slit her throat right here and now."

"We're listening," Cho said through gritted teeth. She and Inojin stood a few paces behind Shikadai, glancing over at him for any sign of what to do. He secretly signaled with his hand for them to wait. He needed to hear what this man had to say before they acted.

"The fighting ends here. You may think it was reprehensible for me to cast a genjutsu over the villagers, but you haven't heard my side of things just yet. You come in here talking about justice and wanting to place my comrades and I in prison for our actions. We haven't had a chance to explain things to you yet,"

"Well, get going then," Shikadai said, losing his patience. Genzo pulled Himawari closer, and then he quietly whispered something in her ear. She seemed rooted on the spot with fear. She wasn't moving a muscle. _I wonder why she hasn't tried to move at all…it seems unlike her._

"My comrades and I began uprising after the 4th great shinobi war. We were the forgotten experiments of Orochimaru, left behind from his village of the sound. No one cared to help us or to bring us peace. We were rejected by the land of sound, and rejected by our leader Orochimaru. When I heard about the events of the war, something did not sit right with me. How could two mere shinobi defeat the great Kaguya Otsutsuki? Naruto and Sasuke should have left things the way they were, if the world was to end by Kaguya, it should have ended. She would have brought us true peace with the infinite tsukuyomi…but that time has passed, and a greater power rose up. Many do not realize the danger of the tailed beasts…and now that they can all convene within one human, the risk of destruction is great. The so called 'alliance of the shinobi' will not stand for long. When the destruction from the beasts' power within Naruto is unleashed, there will be another great war, with more forgotten people. This world would be better without the tailed beasts. I planned to cast my genjutsu upon all the shinobi. I started small with the land of sound. As I expand my genjutsu among the world, everyone will rise up against Naruto to ensure his destruction and the destruction of every tailed beast." Genzo spoke with a vile passion that made Shikadai want to be sick. His words were bitter and cold.

"You're crazy," Cho said, "Our hokage would never let any of that happen."

"You're a fool if you think there's true peace among all the nations!" Genzo spat back. He placed his lips against Himawari's ear again, whispering something that the rest of them couldn't hear. The gesture made Shikadai's blood boil, but he kept his stance, watching closely. He noticed that Genzo's lips were formed in an "oh" shape, as though he was whistling a continuous tune. He then noticed Himawari's look change slightly, her face became stoic, and her eyes were glazed over as though she was in a daydream. It finally occurred to Shikadai what was going on.

"There may not be peace yet, but the shinobi of every village have worked hard towards reaching that goal. They've worked together to reach this far forward, and we're not gonna let rebels like you get in our way," Shikadai said, mostly as a distraction. His hand was behind his back, sending out careful yet intricate signs to his comrades. He finally had his plan. He just needed to stall Genzo a little longer.

Genzo spoke up again, but Shikadai barely listened. He was more concerned with Himawari's facial features. "Once I kill this one," Genzo said, pressing the kunai closer to her throat, "then you'll see the true Naruto and the fearsome power of the beast inside him. He won't be able to control what happens when the rage takes over upon hearing about his daughter's death." Himawari still wore a detached look upon her face. Then, quite suddenly, she blinked her eyes as if in shock. It seems Inojin had succeeded in his contacting her with his mind body transmission technique. He could silently and telepathically communicate to her the plan.

Genzo kept going, "with her bloodshed, all shinobi will see the evil of the tailed beasts, and then everyone will agree that they should be eradicated from this world." Himawari blinked twice directly at Shikadai, indicating that she understood what to do.

"As if I'd let you kill one of my comrades!" Shikadai yelled at the same instant he stretched out his shadow. The guards on either side of him advanced forward, but it was too late. Cho used her partial expansion jutsu to expand her hands to a bigger than life size. Her right hand grabbed the two guards on Genzo's left and her left hand wrapped around the woman guard. She squeezed tight, Shikadai could hear them gasping for breath as he locked down his prey with his shadow. Genzo was frozen in place, still holding tightly to Himawari with his kunai placed too close to her neck for comfort. Shikadai restricted his movements just in time.

"Now Inojin!" Shikadai cried.

"Mind transfer jutsu!" Inojin yelled. His body slumped backwards, leaning against the wall behind him. Only then did Shikadai release his shadow possession on Genzo.

Genzo, or rather Inojin, quickly released Himawari from his grip and placed two fingers on her forehead, "release!" Himawari blinked, and moved her arms a little, they were stiff from their paralysis.

"Thanks," Himawari said before adding, "you ready?"

Genzo nodded and then said, "Now!" As Inojin returned to his own mind and body, Himawari used her gentle fist technique to hit Genzo's chakra points. Her movements were so fast and deft, Genzo had no time to react. Soon, all of his chakra was rendered powerless in his body, as she hit each and every chakra point.

"No!" the woman in Cho's hand screamed. Genzo fell forward onto his knees as Himawari stepped away from him with loathing.

"Gah!" Shikadai heard Cho yell and he whipped his head around to look for her. She had let go of her grip on the woman, it seems that the woman had punctured Cho's massive hand with her shuriken.

Everything was happening so fast. Before Shikadai could do anything, the shuriken had released from the furious woman's hand, headed straight for his heart. At the same moment, Shikadai felt someone press up hard against him, grabbing him around the waist and moving him out of the way of direct harm. The shuriken sliced across his right collar and shoulder, missing the intended target of his heart. Shikadai heard Himawari scream.

Shikadai felt the sting of pain from the shuriken and another jolt of discomfort as he hit the ground. He looked up to see Inojin on top of him; he had run to push Shikadai out of harm's way. Inojin quickly got on his feet and held out a hand for Shikadai. "Thanks," Shikadai said, taking his hand and rising back up.

Shikadai spun back around to look for the woman guard. He found her slumped on the ground, Himawari was above her with her twin lion fists still activated and an enraged look upon her face. Cho still held onto the other two guards with her right hand, she was squeezing them so tight their faces were turning blue.

Shikadai sighed in relief, "Finally," he said, "now that you've cut off their chakra, it should be much easier to suppress them and take them into custody." He looked at Himawari as he said this.

Himawari nodded and sighed. "What a drag," she said, giving Shikadai a smirk. He laughed at her use of his verbal tic, it was like she could read his mind. Cho and Inojin joined in their laughter, releasing the tension of the fighting. They had finally defeated their enemy.

….

The four of them detained the rebels, tying up their arms behind their back with special threads that prevented them from using chakra.

The rest of their day comprised of finding the feudal lord and leader of the land of sound, both of whom were tied up and held prisoner by Genzo. They restored order to the villagers by making a brief announcement on the loudspeakers that everything would return to normal, informing them that they had captured Genzo and his followers. Genzo and his guards were sent to a local high security prison, were they would later be transferred to the Blood Prison.

As their mission came to a close, they waved goodbye to the leader of the land of sound, an older man with a wise smile who thanked them graciously and paid them handsomely with fresh food to take on their journey back to Konoha. They walked through the gates with enough daylight ahead of them to get started on their travels.

"Alright, let's get going," Shikadai said to them, they were walking casually on the path back home, the leader was still waving happily at the four of them from the gates. "someone should text the hokage that we're on the way back, and our mission was successful."

"I already have my phone out, I'll do it," Cho said before popping a her gum.

"Wait, we can't go just yet," Himawari said, "we should stop first so I can heal you guys."

"Oh that's right, you know medical ninjutsu," Shikadai said. He touched his right shoulder with his left hand, shuddering slightly. The bleeding had stopped, but it still stung. "Heal Cho's hand first, and then check on Inojin."

"I'm fine, really," Inojin said, "I'd just like to sit here a while, maybe do some sketches." Inojin sat himself on a rock and took out his sketchbook from his pack. Cho sat in the grass next to him and stretched out her hand for Himawari to inspect. Shikadai grinned at his teammates, knowing he wouldn't have been able to secure another mission without them. He watched in awe as Himawari healed Cho's hand. _I wonder if there's anything in this world that she can't do…her talent is truly amazing._ He held back a tear that wanted to escape his eye as he thought back to Himawari being paralyzed under Genzo's cruel genjutsu and trapped within his arms. He secretly promised to himself that he would never let Himawari become captive to an enemy ever again. He also hoped that the next time she was wrapped up in someone's arms, it would be his own.


	9. Chapter 9: Healing

Himawari finished healing Cho's cut up hand, and Cho looked upon her gratefully. "Thanks," she said, "having you on our mission has been a real help!" Cho then scooted closer to Inojin to take a peek at what he was drawing. Inojin turned his notebook to show her.

Himawari got up and found Shikadai leaning casually against a tree, eyeing her carefully. "Are you alright?" he asked her as she approached.

"Yeah, I am." Himawari replied. "But I should really be asking you that question. Let me see that cut on your shoulder."

Shikadai pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing some of the deep red gash. "Hmm, this won't do," Himawari told him, "take off your shirt."

"I-Is that necessary?" Shikadai asked with a pink tint on his cheeks. "Fine," he said after a second. He pulled the long sleeved shirt up over his head. There was a large hole in the shirt from the shuriken anyways, he would probably have to throw it away.

Himawari bit her lip to stop herself from gasping as she gushed over his sculpted chest. Shikadai was skinny, but also very toned. She was surprised to see a few battle scars already placed along the skin of his abdomen, some scars darker than others. She reached her hand out towards his abdomen, tracing one of the light red scars with her fingers absentmindedly. "Um," Shikadai said, then cleared his throat loudly. Himawari's hand quickly retreated and she blushed.

"Sorry!" she said, "I um just…I mean," she swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, "if you had a medic ninja on your squad, maybe you wouldn't be covered in scars."

Shikadai laughed a little, "Ah, it's alright. I hear they make me look a little tougher." He winked and laughed again.

Himawari laughed with him, "That is true," she agreed. "Now hold still, I need to look at this cut. It's a lot deeper than I thought." Shikadai nodded and Himawari gently placed a hand against his shoulder, looking at the bloody open cut. She pushed against it slightly, to see if it would bleed again or if the scabbing was stagnant. Shikadai grunted a little as she inspected it, and she smirked, "Not so tough after all, huh?"

"Hey now," he said, "you be gentle." Himawari pulled her hand back a little and then began to heal the wound, green light emanated from her palms. Shikadai looked down at the wound, eyeing it with awe as it closed up, forming new skin over the old. His green eyes were unwavering, and full of admiration at Himawari's work.

The look in his eyes made Himawari's heart beat a little faster, she couldn't stop thinking about the time she and Shikadai looked into each other's eyes under the stars just a few nights ago. Thinking about that time gave her butterflies in her stomach, so she decided to talk to Shikadai as she healed his wound, in order to calm her nerves. "So, I should really be thanking you Shikadai."

"Yeah, for what?" he asked, still looking at his closing wound with astonishment.

"Well, if it weren't for you, I would be dead," Himawari reminded him. He looked up at her now, staring straight into her eyes, "I mean, I really never thought I would have to rely on my comrades so much…my dad was right. I can't do everything on my own. And seeing how you, Inojin and Cho work together so well…I almost feel jealous. I wish I had that kind of connection with my teammates, I wish we could work together like that. It was really amazing how you relayed an entire plan through hand signs…and they understood it so easily, didn't have to question anything!"

"We weren't always a great team, it's something we had to work hard to achieve. We worked endlessly on our different battle tactics, it's something we continue to work on together during our practice. But we know it's the best way for us to fight against our enemies- we have to do it together, and trust that we all have each other's backs," Shikadai said, talking reverently about his teammates.

"Yeah, it was pretty amazing how Inojin jumped out to help you. If it weren't for him, that shuriken could have pierced your heart…" Himawari's voice trailed off, the thought was too dark for her to continue.

"Yeah, I'll say. I have to remember to thank him again for that. But that's just what our team does. We always look out for each other. They trust my judgment, and I trust theirs." Shikadai said.

"Alright, all done," Himawari said, removed her hands from his shoulder. He looked down at his shoulder and moved his arm around.

"Thanks, it feels much better. You're an amazing shinobi Himawari," Shikadai said in praise. Himawari blushed and bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. Shikadai placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him, her face still red. She noticed he was blushing too, "I don't know what we would have done without you."

She smiled sweetly at him, "I only got in the way though, I got captured and paralyzed."

"You stopped the radio transmission, freeing everyone from the genjutsu. You knocked out the leader and his troublesome henchwoman. You healed up Cho and I. You were more than helpful. Like I said, I don't think we could have done it without you." Shikadai said. His words made Himawari feel fuzzy inside. Again, she felt speechless and unsure of how to respond. Since she didn't know what to say, she leaned forward and grasped Shikadai into a hug. She dug her head into his chest, feeling the warmth of his bare skin against her cheek.

He seemed surprised by her motion at first, but then he hugged her back, pulling her in closer and holding tight. She could clearly hear his heartbeat in his chest. The sound was loud and fast. She grinned to herself, it seemed that her suspicions that he liked her were true.

They hugged tightly for a few seconds and then slowly released, looking into each other's eyes with a new awareness. _Oh my gosh, it's so obvious to both of us that we like each other!_

She lifted his hand up and held it in hers. He looked down at their hands and then said, "Hey, you're wearing the bracelet I gave you."

"Oh yeah," Himawari said, "I love it!"

Shikadai beamed at her, "I'm so glad. I remember you wore an orange necklace once a long time ago when my family had dinner with yours…I thought this necklace might match that."

Himawari felt the butterflies return in her stomach. _I knew it! He did remember that time, he purposefully made this bracelet to match that necklace! He still remembered after all that time._ She felt touched by his attention to detail. She squeezed his hand in hers, to show her affection for him. He smiled sweetly at her again. They were lost in each other's gaze.

Just then, the sound of Cho's yawn startled them, "are you guys ready to go yet or what?" She was standing up and stretching. She was facing the opposite direction, she hadn't noticed that Himawari and Shikadai were staring at each other intimately.

Himawari slowly let Shikadai's hand go, and sighed heavily. She couldn't wait to get a chance to be alone with him again. He grinned at her and walked away slowly, "yeah alright, let's get back to Konoha," he said. He pulled his shirt up over his head again. She kept the mental image of Shikadai's bare chest in her mind, storing it with her most precious memories. Her cheek still felt warm from pressing up against his chest.


	10. Chapter 10: Naruto's Worry

Naruto paced his office back and forth impatiently. Shikamaru glanced at him and said, "calm down Naruto. They'll be back any minute."

"Yeah I know," Naruto said, "I'm just impatient…I'm eager to know what happened during this mission."

"You'll get a full report when they return. Just be happy that they are all returning home safely and in one piece." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed and stopped his pacing, "you're right."

"You have other matters to deal with anyways…you still need to finalize the list for the festival, double check the numbers," Shikamaru reminded him.

"Yeah I know," Naruto said, brushing him aside. "This year's festival is going to be massive, more people are coming than the last time."

"That always seems to be the case," Shikamaru agreed, "the peace day festival grows each time. More people, more days, and more food. But ultimately, more to plan…what a drag."

Naruto laughed at his friend, he had been saying that everything was a 'drag' since they were little kids. The thing he loved about Shikamaru was that he was still essentially the same person that he was back in their youth. _Hmm_ he thought to himself _I guess I haven't changed all that much either when I really think about it. I'm still the same kid who wanted to grow up and become the hokage…and now I am grown up and I am the hokage, but I still act like that little kid sometimes._ He grinned to himself, thinking back on his childhood memories. All thoughts of planning out the finer details for the upcoming peace day festival were brushed aside. He could get to that later.

The doors to the hokage office opened and Mirai stepped inside, "Lord hokage, team Ino-Shika-Cho and Himawari just returned."

"Excellent," Naruto said, perking up. "Send them in as soon as possible."

"Right," Mirai said, taking a bow and leaving.

Shikamaru was ruffling some papers on Naruto's desk, "bah, I need to get these documents back to the hospital right away, or Sakura will have my head. Make sure to brief me on that mission when I return."

"Of course," Naruto said, surprised that Shikamaru had chosen this moment to step out.

Shikamaru headed for the door with a stack of papers. He turned back his head before leaving, "oh, and be easy on my son."

Naruto stared at Shikamaru, not quite sure what he meant by that statement. But he didn't have a chance to ask, Shikamaru departed after saying that comment, leaving Naruto puzzled.

…..

About 15 minutes later, Himawari, Shikadai, Chocho and Inojin stepped into Naruto's office. Naruto sighed a little in relief upon seeing his daughter unscathed. He couldn't help but worry each time he sent Himawari or Boruto out on a mission. He knew they were both excellent shinobi, but as a father, his concern for his children always came first.

"You all look unharmed, I'm glad to see that," Naruto started.

"Well, we had one of the best medical ninjas on our team," Shikadai said, looking at Himawari with reverence, "Himawari was able to heal up our few cuts and scratches."

Naruto smiled at Himawari, finding it a little odd that she was blushing at Shikadai's comment. He didn't want to get distracted though, so he got down to business, "So, brief me on the mission. What happened in the land of sound?"

As the leader of the team, Shikadai explained the events of their mission with detail. Cho, Inojin and Himawari stepped in to help him with some of the finer points. Naruto listened intently, shocked to hear that the leader was targeting him. He was glad that the four of them had stopped Genzo from casting his genjutsu further on more citizens. He was especially relieved to hear that Genzo's impulsive plan to kill Himawari had been unsuccessful. He always knew he could count on the teamwork of Ino-Shika-Cho.

Naruto leaned his hands up against the desk, feeling a little on edge after their recount. "Thank you," he said, "good work. I'll be sending someone to follow up with Genzo and question him, to make sure there are no more rebels like him that we should be alerted about. You all did your job well, and you deserve a break."

The four of them nodded to him, waiting to be dismissed. He was sure they probably wanted to take a bath and have a good meal after their mission, so he didn't hold them any longer, "I'll expect the report in a week or two. You all may be dismissed."

"Thank you," they said in unison before heading towards the door.

"Oh," Naruto just remembered, "I'd like to speak with Shikadai privately, it will only take a minute." Shikadai held back as the others left the office. Naruto looked upon him, noticing how much he looked like Shikamaru. Well, except for his eyes. He definitely had his mother's eyes.

"I wanted to ask about the matter we discussed before the mission," Naruto stated.

Shikadai nodded, "Yeah, I figured. You were right, Himawari just needed to see good teamwork in action. She told me herself that she now realizes the importance of having a good team. She was impressed with the way Inojin and Cho worked with me, and that we all have each other's backs."

"Wow, really?" It was better than Naruto had hoped for. "She told you all that?"

"Yeah, she was really grateful to our team. She saw us in action as she stood paralyzed by Genzo's musical jutsu. She said she actually felt jealous, she wants that kind of relationship with her own team." Shikadai explained.

"Excellent, I'm really glad to hear that. I knew I could count on you Shikadai!" Naruto said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Yeah," Shikadai agreed, smiling, "Thanks."

"Are you still helping her train?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Oh, well, she hadn't asked about that…" Shikadai said, ruminating, "I mean, now that she understands the importance of teamwork, she can focus on training with her team. She mentioned something about creating hand signs for her team, she was really impressed with the way we were able to communicate without the enemy knowing."

"Yeah, that's always been a strong suit of Ino-Shika-Cho," Naruto commented. "I'm glad she understands now that she can't do everything on her own…that was her only downfall."

"I agree," Shikadai said, his green eyes were shining, it seemed he was daydreaming about something, "Once she trains with her team, she'll be the complete package, the perfect shinobi."

Naruto was stunned by Shikadai's constant appraisal of his daughter. He blinked and then cleared his throat. Shikadai snapped out of his daze and stared back at Naruto. "Well, thanks again," Naruto said to him, "You may be dismissed now."

Shikadai stood rooted on the spot, he suddenly seemed nervous for some reason. _Why doesn't he want to leave?_ "Is there something else you need?" Naruto asked him. Shikadai had been standing there awkwardly for a few seconds.

"Oh, um," Shikadai cleared his throat, seeming to center himself. He locked his eyes with Naruto's and said, "I'd like to ask your permission to take Himawari out on a date."

Naruto felt his stomach drop uneasily. He took a step back in shock, not sure what to say. Shikadai's request seemed to come out of nowhere. _Well, now all his compliments about her makes sense…he likes her! I didn't think this day would come so soon…_

Shikadai was still staring straight at him, it seems he had mustered up the courage to stand there patiently without breaking eye contact. _Huh,_ he thought, _so this must be what Shikamaru was talking about…he purposefully left me here alone so his son could ask me for a date with my daughter!_ Naruto jolted a little as he realized Shikamaru's intentions.

He looked back up at Shikadai, who was still waiting there patiently. "Yes, you can take her for a date," Naruto finally said to him. Shikadai perked up a bit, the shine in his green eyes returned. "I can't say no to the man who helped to rescue my daughter from the enemy. You kept her safe on this mission, I trust you."

Shikadai bowed forward, "Thank you, hokage." He smiled at him and then turned to leave.

"Oh one more thing," Naruto said. Shikadai stopped at the door, looking back at Naruto. "I'll be at the peace day festival too, I assume that will be the first date since it's coming up in a few days."

"Yes," Shikadai responded.

"So, no funny business, yah know." Naruto said with a playful yet stern tone. Shikadai's face turned a deep shade of crimson.

He held up his hands and gave a nervous laugh, "Of course not." He then bowed once more, a little rushed and awkwardly, and then hurried to open the door and exit the hokage office.

Naruto sighed, he probably didn't have to make that last comment. But, once again, his primal concern for his children's well being got the better of him. Shikadai was probably rushing home in horror from the embarrassment that Naruto just caused him.

Naruto finally took a seat, his chest felt a little tight. He took a deep breath. It was okay. Shikadai was a respectable young man. He knew he could trust him. But that didn't seem to ease his worrying mind. A part of him still thought of Himawari as his precious little girl. Now she was off fighting A and S ranked missions, becoming a jonin soon, and worst of all- dating.

His mind thought back to a few years ago when his son asked Sarada out for a date. He remembered Sasuke's reaction quite well. The two of them had met up for sake, and Sasuke had ranted on and on about his mixed feelings of their children dating. "I can't believe your son," Sasuke had said in a fume.

Naruto had laughed at him, "You know Boruto just as well as I do, you're his master! Sarada will be fine with him. They've grown up together, this was bound to happen." Naruto was excited by the prospect of Boruto and Sarada dating. He added, "hey, if they get married some day, then you and I will be family yah know!" Naruto had smiled at Sasuke, but Sasuke did not return a smile. Naruto remembered how his eyes had darkened.

"Don't joke about this," Sasuke had seethed, "one day when Himawari starts dating, you'll understand better how I feel." Sasuke then drained his glass, motioning towards the waitress for more. "As her father, I have this innate instinct to always protect her…now that she's going on a date, I can't always do that. She's growing up. It's just happening too fast."

Naruto recalled those words, now understanding exactly how Sasuke had felt back then. Naruto held his head in his hands and groaned. He did not expect that Himawari would start dating already. _Well, she is 18 now…and I started dating her mother when we were 19._ "Gah!" he cried out loud, thinking about all the thoughts he had in his mind as a 19 year old when he first started dating Hinata. Shikadai probably shared those same thoughts, but about Himawari.

The door to the hokage office opened, and Shikamaru stepped inside, with a knowing look on his face. Naruto stared up at him, "Your son," was all he could think to say.

Shikamaru gave Naruto a small smile, "So I guess he finally asked you? I had a feeling he would wait until after the mission…it's what I would do."

Naruto stared at Shikamaru, "How long have you known that he likes Himawari? Did you tell him to ask me for permission?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "He never told me he liked Himawari, I figured it out myself. I did hint to him that he should ask your permission, I figured that would be the right thing to do."

"So, you're okay with this?" Naruto asked him.

"Our children aren't little kids anymore, they're free to make their own choices. I think they'll be happy together." Shikamaru told him.

"Yeah I know…but they're still young. Himawari still has much to learn…she is mature, but…argh," Naruto groaned again. He wasn't able to formulate sentences correctly at that moment.

Shikamaru chuckled at him, "You did say yes didn't you?"

"Yes, yah know."

"Well, I'm sure your gut instinct to say 'yes' was the right one. You might be worried now, but I know Shikadai, and I can tell you that he thinks of Himawari with the highest regard and respect. He would never do anything to hurt her." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," Naruto said slowly, "I can see that…and I do trust him."

"So what are you groaning about?" Shikamaru asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just not ready for my little girl to grow up!" Naruto said, pulling on his blond hair a little. Shikamaru laughed at him. Naruto stared up at the laughing Shikamaru, and felt the tightness in his chest loosen. Somehow, the sight of Shikamaru laughing made him feel at ease. He laughed along with Shikamaru. _If Shikadai is as much like his father as I've heard, then I know my daughter will be happy with him. Shikamaru has always been there for me, he was always a close friend and comrade. His son has always been like that, trusting in his friends and never giving up on his comrades. He'll make an excellent date for my daughter._ Naruto smiled genuinely at Shikamaru, letting his worries depart from his mind.


	11. Chapter 11: Brilliant Blue Eyes

Shikadai walked into his house with his head buzzing. He still felt mortified by the hokage's last statement- _no funny business! Was that comment even necessary? The peace day festival is a huge event with hundreds of people, how would I even find the privacy to engage in any 'funny business' with Himawari? How troublesome._

But, alas, he had the permission. He quickly headed towards his room to change out of his dirty and tattered shinobi clothes. He would need to take a quick bath and clean himself up before heading to the Uzumaki household. He frantically opened his closet, looking for the perfect outfit to wear to ask Himawari out. _What a drag,_ he thought, _I'm so nervous about asking her on a date that I'm even scrutinizing what outfit to wear!_

He heard a low knock on his door, "can I come in?" his mother asked him.

He had already stripped off his shirt and was digging around for a clean one, "sure!" he shouted, not looking up from his closet.

"You didn't say hi," Temari said sourly, "I haven't seen you in a few days, how was the mission?" Shikadai turned around, sensing his mother's hurt.

"The mission went well," he said, "I'd love to talk about it but can we do that later?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Are you going somewhere?" Temari asked him.

Shikadai turned his face from his mother to hide his blush as he answered, "Yeah, I'm going to the Uzumaki's house."

"Boruto is out on a mission though, he probably won't be back until tomorrow I think," Temari said.

"I'm not going there to see Boruto," Shikadai explained, still trying to find the right shirt. Finally, he picked out a green shirt. People told him that green looked best on him.

"Oh!" Temari said, "Are you going to ask Himawari out on a date?"

Shikadai turned around again, this time with surprise, "How do you and dad know that?"

Temari smiled at him, it was the smile that always broke through to him. When he was younger, that smile always made him feel better whenever he was angry, sad or upset. "You've been spending a lot of time with her," his mom said, "and besides, mothers just know these things."

"Right," Shikadai said. He pulled out the green shirt and laid it on his bed. He was waiting for his mother to leave his room so he could get ready.

"Well, she'd be crazy to say no to you," Temari said, stepping into his room.

She grabbed Shikadai's head and placed a kiss on his forehead, to which he cried "mom!"

She smiled again and then backed away towards the door, "Alright, we can catch up later." She made her goodbye and departed, closing the door behind her. Shikadai sighed, he secretly liked the kisses his mom gave him but he felt that he was too old for that sort of thing.

….

Shikadai walked up to the Uzumaki house slowly, his hands were sweaty so he kept them in his pockets. He knocked firmly on the door, and then swallowed hard to rid the knot in his throat. Hinata answered, smiling at him, "Hello Shikadai," she said sweetly, "Himawari is in her room, did you come to speak with her?" _Hm, it seems the hokage already told her about our earlier conversation…how troublesome._

"Oh yeah, if that's alright," Shikadai said somewhat lamely. Hinata smiled at him again, she seemed totally cool and composed, which was a stark contrast from Naruto's reaction when he asked for his permission to date his daughter. Shikadai had always respected Hinata's gentle kindness.

"Sure, come on in, I'll take you to her room," Hinata said. Shikadai stepped into the house and was led down a corner where he knew Himawari's room to be. He had never been inside her room, and his head was now buzzing with anticipation. _I wonder what it will look like._

Hinata tapped on the door, Shikadai could hear music coming out from within her room. She was listening to Circa Sunrise, another one of his favorite bands. He was reminded again of how cool Himawari is, and he felt his heart flutter in his chest.

The music was turned down, and Himawari's voice answered the knock, "come in mom."

"There's someone here to see you," Hinata said as she opened the door.

Shikadai took a quick glance around Himawari's room, taking in as much detail as he could. Behind all the pictures, band posters and furniture he could just make out the light purple of the wall. He saw several band posters of musicians he also enjoyed. Her bed was queen sized and had a dark purple comforter on it. Next to her bed was a wooden bookshelf, stacked with so many books that some of them had to lay sideways on top of the others. There was a mirror attached to her wooden dresser, and he noted that there were several photographs, cards and notes adorned around the mirror, serving as a frame. He saw that the birthday card he gave her was placed on the mirror. Himawari was seated in the middle of her bed, with her laptop out in her lap. She gave Shikadai a large smile as he stepped in. He noticed that she was in what most people would call 'lazy wear.' She had on a short pink tank top and sweatpants, and her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail on top of her head. The bracelet he gave her for her birthday was still present on her wrist. He had never seen her like this before, and it immediately struck him how sexy she looked. There was something very appealing to him about a woman who could kick back and relax, and just hang out in sweatpants. She wasn't even wearing make-up, not that it mattered. She was stunningly gorgeous with or without make-up.

"Hi Shikadai," she said brightly, moving the laptop out of the way so she could get up off the bed. Shikadai was aware that Hinata silently moved away from the door and out of sight. It was now just the two of them.

"Sorry I'm sort of a mess," Himawari said, looking down at her outfit. "I like to relax after a mission. I either read a good book or listen to music after a mission like that."

Shikadai stepped into her room, feeling a little bolder, "You look fine. Actually, you look pretty cute like that. And yeah, I usually like to curl up with a book after a long mission too. It helps my brain relax." He noticed her face flush red when he told her she looked cute. He was just being honest though, not necessarily trying to flatter her.

"So, why aren't you at home with a book then?" she asked. Her blue eyes were so bright and big, he almost couldn't concentrate on what he needed to say.

Finally, the words came out, "Well, I wanted to ask you something. I guess I probably could have waited until tomorrow, but I have to admit I was a little impatient to see you again." He felt his face redden as he said this, but he wanted to be honest with her.

She blushed and smiled, "What did you want to ask me?" She inched closer to him, looking up with those brilliant blue eyes.

Shikadai gulped and then said, "I wanted to know if you would go to the peace day festival with me…I mean, as a date," he added in the last bit for clarification, not that it was necessary. He figured if it was obvious to his parents that he had a crush on Himawari, it was probably pretty obvious to her too.

Himawari's eyes widened even more, and a huge smile spread across her lips. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed Shikadai on the cheek before replying, "I would love to!"

Shikadai was stunned by the kiss, his face felt warm from her touch. He couldn't help but give her a big grin. "Great," he said, "I can't wait."

"Me neither, the fireworks this year are supposed to be amazing." She was still standing very close to Shikadai, and he felt like his heart would burst. He could smell her sweet and flowery scent.

"Yeah, I always love watching the fireworks. And the booth games are pretty fun too, although I highly suspect they are rigged so no one can win," Shikadai said. Himawari laughed at that, nodding her head in agreement.

"That ring toss one is especially impossible," Himawari said with a chuckle, "and you would think a shinobi would be able to throw a simple ring onto a bottle, but I swear they place those bottles too close on purpose, so that the rings get knocked off."

Shikadai chuckled a little, remembering back to all the times he had tried to beat that game. He had only succeeded a handful of times.

He looked down, noticing that Himawari had inched even closer to him. She was looking up at him with wonder. That look made his insides go crazy, the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering madly. "Well," he said, trying to ease his nerves. His mouth felt dry, "I-I probably should get back home, my mom wanted to hear about the mission and I have a few chores to do."

"How troublesome," Himawari said, using his catch phrase once again. His heart was pounding hard and the sound was blocking his ears. All he could hear was the 'thump thump' from within his chest. Himawari was pulling her head up slightly towards Shikadai. Out of instinct, his hands grabbed her waist precariously. She did not pull them away, she was still looking up at him steadily, with a hint of longing in her eyes. Shikadai pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned his head in towards hers.

Shikadai kissed Himawari, sparks flying off in his head. Shikadai's heart did a back flip as he felt Himawari's smooth lips pressed up against his own. He had closed his eyes, but he opened them for a split second to see Himawari's button nose and the details of her whiskered cheeks. He let his hands slide up her back a little as they kissed, and cupped one hand around her cheek.

Their lips parted from their sweet kiss, but Shikadai left his hand on her cheek, moving his thumb in slow circles around her smooth skin. She was smiling wider than he had ever seen her smile. "Himawari," Shikadai finally said, breaking the silence, "you leave me breathless."

Himawari blushed a little and bit her lip, which made Shikadai want to kiss her again. But he waited for her response, "Shikadai, I'm always really happy when I'm around you," she embraced him in a hug again, leaning her face up against his chest. He held her tightly, "do you really have to go? You could have dinner here." The thought of having dinner with Himawari and her dad right now was a little horrifying to him after his earlier conversation with Naruto. He decided that he would put that off for the time being.

"We'll get a chance to spend more time together during our first date," Shikadai reminded her. He could feel her smiling into his chest.

She slowly pulled back from the hug and looked at him, "You're right. I can't wait!"

Himawari then led Shikadai out of the house, as he really did have to get going. Hinata was still nowhere to be seen, Shikadai was grateful that Himawari's mother was so understanding. He was sure that if Naruto was home, he would have been right up at the doorstep with them. Shikadai gave Himawari one last quick and light kiss on the lips before departing. If he had given in to his urge to kiss her deeply and passionately, he was sure he would never return home.

Himawari waved vigorously at him as he walked away. He returned her waves, thinking how goofy she could be. But still, it was pretty cute to see how excited she was. He could barely contain his own excitement.

 _And now comes the hard part,_ he thought as he walked home with a skip in his steps, _I have to wait three whole days until the festival. How troublesome._


	12. Chapter 12: Father's Love

Boruto was staring at Himawari with an incredulous look on his face. "Shikadai?" he asked again, "You're going to the peace day festival with _Shikadai?"_

"Yes," Himawari said again, beginning to feel cross.

Her brother stared at her with disbelief, "When did this happen?"

Himawari sighed, "I don't know Boruto, he and I have been hanging out more recently. We like each other."

"You really like that lazy guy?" Boruto asked.

Himawari shot him a glare, "He's not just some lazy guy. He's actually really cool and also really sweet." Himawari took a sip of her tea. Her brother's tea and breakfast had barely been touched, he was apparently too shocked by this news to eat anything. He had only just arrived home from his latest mission last night, and somehow her dad had already told him that she had a date with Shikadai.

"Boruto stop questioning your sister," Hinata said sternly. Naruto then walked into the room, pulling his shirt on over his head. He was in a rush, as usual. "Sit down and have some eggs and toast," Hinata offered.

"Thanks sweetie," Naruto said, sitting for a minute to scarf down the food.

Boruto ignored his mother and continued, "so is he still your teacher too? Or just your boyfriend now?"

"Ugh, enough Boruto," Himawari said, clearly annoyed this time. She noticed that her dad's ears had perked up to listen, "Over the next few weeks I'll be training just with my team, so at the moment he isn't teaching me anything. And he isn't my boyfriend, we're just going on one date so calm down."

Boruto turned and looked at his dad. Naruto drained the rest of his tea and said, "your sister's right Boruto. It's one date, stop worrying about her so much. She's not a little kid anymore. Neither of you are."

Himawari was surprised by his words. Was he really okay with the fact that she was going on a date?

Before she had a moment to say anything to her dad, he got up and said, "have a great day everyone, I have to get going. There's still lots of work to be done for the festival." Naruto kissed Hinata quickly and then waved to his family before heading out the door.

….

Himawari met up with Yuri and Kazuki for their usual training, but today would be different from all their previous practices. The first thing Himawari did when she saw them was apologize- she apologized for trying to take everything on herself for so long, for not trusting them or relying on them for support. She explained to them that she finally understood the importance of teamwork. Yuri and Kazuki seemed shocked by her words at first, but they soon accepted her apologies and agreed with her that they needed to work on their teamwork.

They got to work on training by planning out various problematic scenarios and working out solutions together. Himawari learned how best to use their talents and hers together as they problem solved with each other. She listened to their suggestions, and gave her own recommendations when needed. Instead of dominating the conversations and barking out orders as she had done before, she listened and gave back advice in a way that suited the needs of everyone in the team.

After their practice, the three of them felt renewed, they all knew they had begun towards a path of greatness and strength for their team. Himawari was grinning from ear to ear by how well their first day of true team practice had gone. She walked home feeling both tired from their training but excited and enthused by the endless possibilities for her and her team.

…..

It was almost dark by the time Himawari stepped into her home. She was covered in dust and had a few scrapes on her from training. It had been a long, yet fulfilling day. She was excited to get her cell phone out and text Shikadai about the amazing practice they had had.

"Hi Himawari," her mother called from the kitchen, "dinner is almost ready. Boruto won't be home until late tonight. Your father is out back, can you let him know?"

"Sure," Himawari replied. She looked down at her watch, it was only 6:30pm, her dad usually got back home later than this. As a child, it would have been a true treat for her dad to come home early. She recalled all the times as a child that she would run out back to greet him, and hug him with enthusiasm, begging him to play with her and her brother.

Himawari opened the sliding door to their back porch, where she saw her dad sitting in a wooden lawn chair, looking up at the sky, deep in thought. Himawari stepped closer to him and then took a seat in the chair next to him. He finally turned to her and smiled, "Hey there," was all he said. This was odd to Himawari, she had never known her father to be closed mouthed.

"Hi dad," Himawari replied, "mom says dinner will be ready soon. It smells pretty good in there."

"Yeah," Naruto replied, looking back up at the sky, watching the sun set slowly.

"Are you okay dad?" Himawari asked. He was really being unusually quiet.

"Your brother and Sarada are going to move in with each other," Naruto said, still looking up at the sky. This news jolted Himawari, she remembered Boruto talking about wanting to move into a place with Sarada, but she didn't think they would actually do it anytime soon.

"When?"

"They put a deposit on an apartment today, they move in a month," Naruto replied.

"Wow, he didn't tell me!" Himawari felt a little cross, especially after being berated by her brother about going on a simple date this morning. She felt like he was too harsh on her and should back off sometimes. But, she also felt happy and excited for him.

Her dad chuckled beside her, "I only found out today too. He and Sarada have been saving up their funds for a while now. I guess that's the reason they kept begging me to give them any and every mission. They wanted to prove that they could be self sufficient and responsible."

"So, what do you think about this?" Himawari asked, eyeing her dad carefully. A tiny smile formed upon his lips.

"Well, he and Sarada are both responsible adults now. I told him it was fine, your mother agreed. They're ready to move on to the next chapter in their lives," Naruto said with a hint of sadness behind his voice. He was still smiling, but Himawari could always sense her dad's true feelings.

"But you'll miss him, won't you?"

"Yeah, I will," Naruto agreed, "but I can't keep him here forever, yah know."

Himawari nodded and then watched in silence with her dad as the sun finally departed from the earth, and the stars began to twinkle lightly in the darkening sky. The sight would never cease to amaze Himawari and take her breath away.

"So," Himawari began, breaking their silence, "how did Sarada's dad take this news?"

"Surprisingly well," Naruto said with a chuckle, "Despite the occasional glares he gives Boruto, he actually is quite fond of him. He approved of their relationship a long while ago, although he doesn't show it openly. I spoke with him earlier, I can tell he's excited for them."

"Really?" Himawari laughed a little, she wasn't sure if she had ever seen Sarada's dad look excited before. Another quiet, although not awkward, silence broke between them for a few minutes. Then Himawari's curiosity got the better of her, "Hey dad?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you really think about my date with Shikadai? I mean, are you really okay with it?" Himawari asked him, trying not to blush from embarrassment.

Naruto smiled at her and then placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in to a sideways hug. "Of course I'm okay with it my sunflower," he said. "I was a little shocked at first, but I know you really like him."

Himawari smiled and wrapped her arms around her dad, hugging him back. She always loved hugging her dad as a kid. There was something very comforting about his presence whenever he came home or entered any room. People always looked upon her father with love and respect, and that was something that she really admired in him. He had this sun inside of him and he was able to warm everyone's hearts with it.

Naruto sighed heavily, and Himawari felt something wet drop down on her head. She looked up and was surprised to see tears rolling down her dad's cheeks. "What's wrong dad?"

"You and Boruto are growing up so fast, I just want to hold on to your childhood, but I know I can't. I never knew being a parent would be so tough," he wiped away a tear from his eye and continued, "but it's truly the best job I could ever have. I would trade being hokage for being your father any day, if that was a choice, yah know."

"You worked your whole life to become hokage dad," Himawari said.

"Yeah, and I love my job. But being your father is even more rewarding. I got to see my two beautiful children grow up to become the kindest, bravest and smartest shinobi, and you are both loved by everyone. You both make me so proud," a fresh wave of tears cascaded forward on his whiskered cheeks.

Himawari blinked away the wetness in her own eyes, "dad," she said, rubbing her eyes, "you're gonna make me cry too."

Naruto laughed and pulled her in close for another hug. The tears were now flowing forward fast from Himawari's eyes. They were both a sobbing mess. "I'm so happy for you, and so glad that you finally understand the importance of trusting in your team. If Shikadai can prove that to you, then I trust he'll be good for you," Naruto blabbered on, and Himawari hugged her dad closer, getting his shirt wet with her tears.

They finally parted their heartfelt hug, and Himawari wiped away her tears, laughing a little at the sight of her dad. His face was a mess with tears, he shook his head and rubbed the wetness away with his hands. He laughed with her too, and said, "I'll miss times like this."

"Just because I'm growing up doesn't mean there won't be times like this," Himawari told him, "I'll still be your daughter, no matter how old I get."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "you're right," he blinked away the last few tears from his eyes and then said, "we should probably get inside before your mother's food gets cold. She's probably waiting for us."

"Yeah," Himawari said. They both got up and headed for the sliding door to go in. Himawari turned and looked at her dad again, "I love you dad," she told him. She felt like she hadn't said this to him in a while, and she wanted him to know how much she appreciated everything he did for her. There were no words to describe how grateful Himawari was to her father.

"I love you too sunflower," Naruto said with a wide smile. They both entered the house where Hinata was waiting patiently for them. She didn't even question their teary eyed and puffy faces.


	13. Chapter 13: Peace Day Festival, part 1

The day was finally here. The beginning of the peace day festival was on a Friday evening, and the festival was expected to last until late Sunday night. Shikadai looked in the mirror at himself one more time. It was traditional to wear a kimono on the first eve of the festival, so Shikadai was wearing a green kimono, one that his mother said looked the best on him.

He walked out of his room to boisterous laughter from his parents and uncles. His mom was always in a good mood whenever his uncle Gaara and Kankuro came to visit. His dad seemed pretty happy too. Now that the festival was here and his planning was over, he could finally relax and enjoy the weekend.

"Shikadai," Gaara greeted him with a smile, "will you be joining us for a drink tonight? We'll be toasting off the festival before the first band starts."

"He has a date, I thought I mentioned that?" Temari said. Shikamaru had his hand around Temari's waist, and he nodded in agreement.

"So, he can bring his girlfriend along," Kankuro said simply.

"Bring her dad too, I'd like to catch up with Naruto," Gaara said, "it's been a while since he and I had a drink."

"Um, I'll see what I can do. I'll ask Himawari if she wants to come," Shikadai replied. It seemed like he and Himawari would be hard pressed to find any time alone. Perhaps this first date would be a hectic one…how troublesome.

"Alright, that's my man," Kankuro said, giving Shikadai a slap on the back.

….

A half hour later, Shikadai was knocking on Himawari's door to pick her up. He was eager to see her. She answered the door, wearing a beautiful purple kimono with camellia flowers adorned on it. She also wore the bracelet he gave her and the matching necklace to go with it. A flowered barrette was clipped up in her hair. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Wow," Shikadai said, he couldn't help it.

"See you later mom!" Himawari called into the house as she stepped out. She quickly embraced Shikadai in a hug, which he graciously returned.

They began to walk towards the big stage that was set up in the village over a large field of grass. As they walked, they saw several excited and happy people from all over different countries. There were booths on each side of them- some were selling trinkets and merchandise, others had delicious smelling food or treats, and then there were the gaming booths. Shikadai even spotted a booth for taking pictures, they had placed up a green screen backdrop so that the tourists could pick any Konoha landscape for the background.

"What do you want to do first?" Shikadai asked her, looking around at all the options and sights.

"Hmm," Himawari looked around, then spotted something and pointed, "Let's try that game!" It was a target shooting game, it looked simple enough. All you had to do was use a water gun to hit the center of the target, and a light would blink, indicating that you won.

"Okay, although I warn you that this game is also probably rigged," Shikadai said with a laugh. Himawari and Shikadai both took a turn, aiming the water gun at the dead center of their targets. Shikadai was sure both of them hit the center, but the light did not blink. "Ah, what a rip off," Shikadai said.

"No wait, let me try again!" Himawari pleaded.

Shikadai smiled, she was pretty competitive. "Alright," he pulled out another coin and gave it to the gamekeeper, who smiled deviously.

Himawari aimed the water gun at the target once more, but this time yelled out "byakugon!" before releasing the water. The water hit a spot just above the red circle in the center of the target, and this time the light blinked and beeped loudly. "I did it!" Himawari cried, jumping up and down. Shikadai laughed at her cleverness.

"Hey!" the gamekeeper cried, "you cheated!"

"It doesn't say anywhere in the rules that I can't use my powerful vision to see that the real target is placed above where most people aim," Himawari said dryly. The gamekeeper scowled at her but pulled down the prize box for Himawari to pick something. She grinned and then asked, "which one do you want?"

"Huh? You won, you get to pick," Shikadai told her. She grabbed a fluffy green teddy bear that held a heart which read 'be mine.' It was probably the cheesiest prize out of all of them. She gave it to Shikadai and said, "green is your color. Also, will you be mine?" she asked the question jokingly, but Shikadai still felt his heart do a summersault at her words.

He grabbed the tacky bear from her and kissed her lightly on the lips, "of course," he said. She blushed madly and he took her hand in his, leading her to the next game booth. "This time, I'll win something for you," he said.

"Hmm," she said as her competitive nature took over again, "are you sure you could beat me in this one?" They had strolled up to a game where the objective was to throw a small ball into one of the many jars on the table. The jars had a small opening and were tightly packed together, which made it difficult to get a ball in because the balls usually just bounced up and away from the intended target. But Shikadai had formed a plan.

He let Himawari try first. The gamekeeper handed her a box of 10 balls, and she tried to throw each ball, one by one, into a jar. Each ball bounded off the rim or the side of the jar and didn't make it in. "Dammit!" she cried in frustration. She then laughed and looked at Shikadai, "your turn," she said.

The gamekeeper gave Shikadai the box of 10 balls. Instead of throwing them in one by one, he picked up the box and flung the balls out of the box all at once. They all fell forward towards the jars, and three of them landed inside the jars. His plan was successful. "Ah!" Himawari cried, "that was genius!"

"I told you I would win the next one," Shikadai laughed. He looked through the prizes and picked out a plush pink cat with large eyes. The cat was just as cheesy as the bear she had chosen for him. "here," he said, handing the stuffed cat to Himawari, "the cat's eyes are sort of like yours with your byakugon," he laughed as he said this.

Himawari laughed at that and said, "my byakugon eyes aren't this creepy though are they?"

"Nah," Shikadai said, "yours are a lot scarier looking." They both laughed at that and then held hands, walking to the next booth. They placed their weird stuffed animals on their shoulders.

They visited a few more gaming booths, competing with each other to see who could beat the rigged games. Himawari won out for most of them, astonishing Shikadai. She cheered him on each time, but was always happily and teasingly boastful whenever she was victorious.

Once their hands were full of pointless stuffed animals and various other trinkets, they decided to stop playing the games. Himawari gathered as many of the prizes as she could and jammed them into her purse. The rest were peeking out of their pockets or resting upon their shoulders. "We look like we raided the game booths," Shikadai commented with a laugh.

"Hey, we earned all of these fair and square," Himawari objected.

"I bet next time the rules will be more strict. No special jutsu or visual prowess will be allowed," Shikadai said, nudging her with his elbow. She laughed at him and playfully pushed him back. Shikadai turned to her, thinking to swoop down and surprise her with a kiss. However, his plan was thwarted as he heard his name shouted from somewhere amongst the crowd.

Inojin and Mitsuki were calling him over to a booth. Shikadai shook his head, how many times was Inojin going to unknowingly prevent him from kissing his beautiful date?

Himawari smiled at them as they approached, and Inojin's eyes grew large, "Oh Shikadai, is Himawari your date?" he asked. Clueless as ever.

"Yeah," Shikadai said, smiling. He noticed that Inojin and Mitsuki were holding hands, it seems Inojin had also been successful in asking his date out. Shikadai felt a warmth in his chest for his friend, he was happy for Inojin.

"Mitsuki and I were going to get some pastries from this booth here, apparently they have the best, do you two want to join us?" he asked.

"Sure! That sounds excellent, can we Shika?" Himawari asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Of course," he answered. He doubted if he would ever be able to say 'no' to her.

They looked upon the sweets with delight, there seemed to be hundreds of options to choose from. It would be Cho's paradise, Shikadai wondered where she was. Himawari picked out a jam filled donut and Shikadai chose a chocolate covered éclair. The four of them sat at a small table and looked out upon the raucous crowd.

"Your stuffed animals are showing," Mitsuki said, looking at the filled pockets of Himawari and Shikadai.

Shikadai laughed, "yeah, we sort of played every game and won a bunch of stuff."

"Do you guys want anything?" Himawari pulled out a few of the prizes from her pockets, including a stuffed rabbit, a tacky spider ring, and fake vampire teeth.

Mitsuki's eyes widened with mischief. He grabbed the spider ring and then took Inojin's hand in his. He placed the spider ring around Inojin's pinky finger, as the ring was small and probably meant for children. He then kissed Inojin on the cheek, making him blush furiously red. Shikadai had never seen his friend squirm with both embarrassment and bliss like this before, it was adorably hilarious.

Then Mitsuki took the vampire teeth and put them in his mouth, "I'm the vampire king and you are my spider queen," he announced with an attempted vampire accent. The whole sight was both strange but endearing. Shikadai thought to himself about how he wished he could act like that with Himawari in front of his friends, but public displays of affection made him feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Well, watching Mitsuki and Inojin being adorable dorks together made him feel happy, but the thought of him and Himawari acting like that in front of others would make him feel uncomfortable.

Himawari laughed at them and said, "you're such a dork Mitsuki." Mitsuki merely laughed, unfazed by his peculiar display of affection towards his date.

….

They finished their pastries and then went their separate ways. Shikadai mentioned to Himawari that his family wanted to do a toast before the concert tonight, and she actually seemed pretty excited about the idea. "I never really got to know the kazekage well, but I know he's a really nice guy," Himawari said, "It would be fun to have a drink with them all."

"He wanted you to bring your dad, if it's possible," Shikadai said, sighing, "are you sure you want to come? My mom and uncle Kankuro sometimes get a little belligerent when they're drunk."

"Hey, you saw how my dad was at my birthday," Himawari pointed out, "I'm sure your family can't be any worse."

So they found themselves seated in a bar with Shikadai's parents and uncles at around 7pm. The first band, The Pursuit of Fire, would get to the stage at 8:30. Himawari said that Yuri would be up front and center, she was probably already there waiting. Shikadai and Himawari had agreed that it would be alright if they missed the first song or two.

"Glad you could make it!" Kankuro said to Shikadai, "and this must be the lovely Himawari," he said, reaching a hand out towards her. Himawari shook his hand and greeted him.

"Where's Naruto?" Gaara wanted to know.

"My dad has to oversee that everything is ready for the show to start, then he'll come over. I texted him, he said he would love to have a drink with us." Himawari explained. Gaara beamed.

"Well, we don't need to wait for him," Temari said, raising her glass of sake up high. "Let's have a toast- to the peace of the nations!"

Everyone clinked their glasses up and then took a sip. Shikadai didn't usually drink much, he didn't relish the sting of the liquid as it ran down his throat. Himawari smacked her lips next to him, seeming to enjoy the flavor of the drink. Her cheeks were already a rosy tint, which he thought was adorable.

"So Himawari," Kankuro said, "I heard this was your first date with my nephew. It's a pretty bold move, to go to a three day festival as a first date. I mean, what if you don't end up liking how things go today, do you cancel out the rest of the festival?" Shikadai could smell an overpowering odor of alcohol on his breath, it seemed that he had already started drinking before they had arrived. How troublesome.

But Himawari didn't seem to mind. She laughed into her hand and then said, "The date is going great so far, so I don't have to worry about that." Under the table, she grabbed Shikadai's hand and squeezed it. Her touch drew out pleasant tingles than ran up his arm.

"Did you hear that?" Kankuro said to the others around the table, "the date is going great she says."

"No one ever doubted that," Gaara said with a smirk. He winked at Shikadai. Shikadai now realized that all the adults had probably consumed several drinks over the course of this evening already.

"Hey now," Shikamaru said, "let them be." Shikadai was grateful for his father's comment. The topic of conversation was soon switched to what the adults had done today. Temari and Shikamaru talked about a shogi match that had occurred earlier. Shikamaru had won with flying colors, taking home a prize of money and a small trophy. Then Gaara discussed the merchandise booth he had visited that had an assortment of plants. He had bought several new cactus plants to grow back home, and he seemed very excited about this. Kankuro apparently had set up a small scale puppet show earlier. He used miniature puppets to portray various scenes of the 4th great shinobi war to onlookers, who had watched gleefully at his puppetry skills. He boasted about how he was going to recreate his puppet show but with life-size puppets on the big stage.

Shikadai and Himawari mostly listened, taking sips of their drinks and soaking in the pleasant atmosphere. Shikadai looked at Himawari as she watched them all talking excitedly (and also drunkenly) about their earlier escapades. Even if their recounts were boring or too boastful, Himawari listened intently, never letting her attention escape from her communication partner. Shikadai admired her even more so at that moment. He was learning more about how incredibly gentle, patient, and accepting she was of everyone around her.

He noted that his parents and uncles seemed to all take a liking to her as well. Himawari had an immensely charming personality, much like her father. When she smiled or laughed, one could see that it was genuine. She didn't put on airs or fake any of her smiles or remarks- she was honest and true to herself to her core. Her amiable nature seemed to emanate from her, and her aura spread around the table, infecting everyone with her joy. She was truly a ray of sunshine, and Shikadai was soaking up her light, simply enjoying being in her presence.

Naruto and Hinata eventually joined the group. Naruto went around the table to hug each and every person. "There he is!" Gaara had called when Naruto entered the room. Shikadai never really understood why Gaara was so captivated by Naruto, he figured maybe it had to do with something from their childhood.

As the drinks kept coming, Shikadai began to politely refuse them. He was already feeling too buzzed for his liking, so he switched to water, despite the taunts he got from uncle Kankuro. "Oh Shikadai, you can handle –hic- more than that! Someone bring –hic- this man another drink!" Temari had narrowed her eyes at him and finished his drink for him when he wasn't looking. Kankuro looked down at his glass and frowned, "hm, I thought I had more…"

Himawari laughed at them, a little too loudly. Shikadai noticed she was getting quite tipsy herself. "Hey," he said to her, "it's almost 8:30, maybe we should get to the concert now."

Himawari looked up at him with a glazed over look in her eyes, "I think I need that water first," she replied honestly. Shikadai handed her his water and she gulped down the whole thing loudly. "Much better," she said.

"Alright, well thanks," Shikadai said to the group of overexcited adults, "Himawari and I are going to get to the show now."

"I thought you didn't really care for the Pursuit of Fire," Naruto said to Himawari.

"Hey let them get going, they want time away from their parents obviously," Kankuro said before hiccupping again loudly.

Naruto frowned at him and Gaara placed an arm around his shoulder, "Yeah don't sweat it Naruto. You understand about young love, right?" Shikadai had never seen his uncle Gaara act this loud-mouthed and drunk before.

"Ah, it's nothing like that," Himawari said, waving her hands apologetically- not that she had anything to be sorry for. "We really enjoyed hanging with you all, really." Her words came out a little slurred, but her point was clear.

Naruto smiled heavily at her, "that's my girl!" he said before clinging his glass with Gaara's and then Hinata's. "Go have fun, and you should really admire the artwork in the backdrop of the stage. It took Sai several hours to complete that, I had to keep bugging him to finish it yah know!"

…..

They finally managed to untangle themselves from the crowded bar and make their way to the stage. The crowd in front of the stage was absolutely chaotic, so they decided to hang back and watch from afar. The band had already started, they were playing one of their famous tunes that was often heard on the radio.

"Sorry about my uncles," Shikadai said to Himawari, "They say some weird things, but I do think they took a liking to you."

"It's alright, they were funny," Himawari said, swaying slightly. "I probably drank –hic- a little too much."

Shikadai held her hand and pulled her closer so her head was resting on his shoulder, "just try to relax," he told her, "is this helping?"

"Yeah," she said, wrapping her arms around him, "thanks."

They watched the band play the next few songs together without anymore exchanging of words. The band was quite loud, so talking was difficult. Himawari kept her arms wrapped around Shikadai, he figured she was probably trying to stabilize herself from becoming too dizzy. She eventually pulled back after a while and said, "that's better. The world isn't spinning so much anymore."

"Good," Shikadai said, looking down at her.

She blinked her gorgeous blue eyes and said, "Although, whenever I look into your eyes my head begins to spin." Her words made Shikadai's heart skip a beat. Then she laughed at herself, "oh man, that was probably the cheesiest thing I could have ever said. Your date is a real dork."

Shikadai pulled her face up with his fingers, "My date is absolutely perfect." He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Himawari blushed and said, "I really, really like you."

"I really like you too." Shikadai pulled her into another tight hug.

The band had finally stopped playing, and the crowd was beginning to disperse. Shikadai began to walk Himawari home, holding her hand. Shikadai saw a flash of blond hair in the crowd, and the next instant he saw Boruto and Sarada coming towards them. _Oh jeez,_ he thought, _we really can't have a moment alone, can we?_

"Hey guys," Boruto said, clasping his arm around Shikadai's neck, almost toppling him over. "How has the date been going?" It seemed he had had a few drinks too, his cheeks were glowing red from the alcohol.

"Brother," Himawari said, "we're just going home. I had a great day. How was your day?"

"It was amazing!" Sarada squealed, "I'm so glad we got the Pursuit of Fire to play, their set was awesome!"

The four of them walked together to the Uzumaki house, with Sarada dominating the conversation the whole way. She gushed on and on about the band, Shikadai never knew she was such a big fan.

They finally reached the Uzumaki residence, and Boruto began to kiss Sarada right there on the front porch, not caring that his sister and Shikadai were standing right there. They were quite loud as they continued to make out, both of them were clearly drunk. The sight was a little embarrassing to Shikadai because it made him feel a little jealous and resentful. He wished he could make out with Himawari, but he definitely felt uncomfortable doing that in front of her brother. And yet her brother was canoodling right there, almost like he was showing off. The whole thing was quite troublesome to Shikadai.

Shikadai tried to ignore them as he looked at Himawari. Himawari giggled and shook her head disapprovingly. Then she looked up at Shikadai and said, "This has been the perfect first date, and I mean it."

Shikadai smiled at her, "Yeah, I had a lot of fun."

"The best part is that it isn't over yet," Himawari said, taking his hand in hers, "we get to continue our date tomorrow, and then again the next day!"

"Yeah, you're right," Shikadai said, wanting desperately to kiss her. He noticed that Boruto had finally released Sarada from their embrace, and he was now eyeing the two of them. Shikadai leaned forward and whispered into Himawari's ear, "on one of those days, you and I need to find some alone time."

Himawari took the opportunity to kiss his cheek while he was so close to her, "yes, I agree," she whispered back into his ear. He pulled back and grinned ear to ear.

"Alright, we should get inside now," Boruto demanded, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder.

Shikadai walked away from the door, waving at Himawari. She waved back and then took out the stuffed animal cat he had won for her. She used the cat's little paw to wave at him as he walked away, which made him laugh out loud. She really was a dork, the cutest dork he had ever seen.


	14. Chapter 14: Peace Day Festival part 2

Shikadai came around to pick Himawari up before noon the next day. They planned to meet up with Yuri and Kazuki for lunch and drinks, Himawari was especially excited to show off her wonderful date to her teammates. She had not told them that she was bringing him along, she wanted to surprise them.

"You think a surprise is a good idea?" Shikadai asked her as they dodged through the thick crowds, trying to get to the small udon noodle booth.

"Yeah, they'll be so surprised that you are my date!" Himawari said, and then blushed a little, "I told Yuri a while ago that I liked you."

"Really?" Shikadai raised an inquisitive eyebrow up, "how long have you liked me?"

"Oh gosh I shouldn't have said that," Himawari said, her face deepening a darker shade of red, "I told her that a long time ago."

Shikadai squeezed her hand in his, "how long ago?"

"Do you remember when I gave you chocolates for valentine's day? I was still in the Academy at that time, and the next day I told Yuri that I liked you and gave you chocolates. She teased me and told me that you would never like me back, that you were too old and mature for me. I tried to hide my feelings for you after that day, but anytime I saw you hanging out with Boruto I always thought you were so…cool. I had this silly little girl crush on you since I was a little kid, and my feelings really haven't changed at all for you since then, despite my efforts to hide them. If anything, I like you even more now!" Himawari admitted all of this with a smile upon her red face, although she found it hard to keep eye contact with Shikadai. She was embarrassed to be saying all this to him. _What if he thinks I'm a crazy, silly little girl?_

"Wow," Shikadai said, she noticed a gleam in his eyes, "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I wish I wasn't so ignorant about girls when I was younger, maybe I would've paid more attention to you. I was pretty clueless about a lot of things back then." Shikadai's words made pleasant sparks fly in her head. _He really doesn't think I'm crazy? He thinks that my crush on him is sweet?!_ "I'm glad I was finally able to open my eyes, and see how amazing you really are," he added.

Himawari giggled nervously, "At what moment did you know that you liked me?" she asked him. It was only fair, seeing as she had revealed to him her long time crush on him.

"Hmm," Shikadai said, as if this was a riddle, "I don't really know how to answer that question…I never really thought much about women before, no other girl has ever made me feel anything…I always thought women were troublesome to tell you the truth. Then Cho and Inojin told me a while ago that they wanted to bring dates to the peace day festival, and it got me thinking about all the women I knew. I thought about you and how you've always been kind to me my whole life. Then I had to go rescue you that night you decided to go rogue. I couldn't stop thinking about how amazing and beautiful and talented you were," he said in a ramble. He was blushing furiously. "Ah, you got me to open up. I don't normally talk all mushy," he added with a shy smile.

Himawari squeezed his hand again and leaned her head against his shoulder, "I like it when you talk like that. I'm really glad you decided to choose me," Himawari said.

They finally arrived at their destination, a small udon noodle booth with a few scattered tables and chairs nearby. Himawari waved at her friends, both of whom looked shocked that she was with Shikadai. "Hi guy!" Himawari said brightly as they walked up.

"Hey Himawari," Yuri greeted.

"What is he doing here?" Kazuki asked. He had a strange look on his face, Himawari couldn't quite place it.

"Oh, surprise!" Himawari said excitedly, "he's my date for the festival!"

"Hey guys," Shikadai said in greeting.

Yuri's eyes widened with glee, "Wow Himawari!" she said, then bit her lip, preventing herself from saying more in front of Shikadai. Himawari was sure she would receive multiple texts from Yuri after their lunch.

They ordered their meals and sat at a small circular table with their beers and food. Himawari didn't like beer much, but since it was a festival, there were plenty of interesting indie flavored beers to try. She picked out a blueberry flavored beer, and enjoyed the crisp fruity taste. They chatted as they sipped on their beers and slurped down udon noodles.

"So I hear your practice the other day went well," Shikadai said to them.

Yuri nodded excitedly, "Yeah, Himawari even had this brilliant idea for communication hand signs, we're working on making some up for battle."

"Hm, I wonder where she got that idea?" he mused, eyeing Himawari and smiling before he took another sip of his drink.

Kazuki had his head slumped in his hand, he was knocking out his beer with furious speed. Himawari had never seen him like this before. He was glaring at Shikadai. "How old are you anyway?" Kazuki asked rather rudely.

"Huh?" Shikadai was taken aback by his question, "I'm 22."

"Isn't that a little old for Himawari?" Kazuki retorted.

"Hey, I'm 18," Himawari said defensively, "We're only a few years apart, it's no big deal."

"Hmpf," Kazuki grunted before taking another long swing. He finished his beer and got up without saying anything to grab another one.

"What's his deal?" Himawari asked Yuri in a whisper.

Yuri shook her head, "Oh Hima, you're so naïve sometimes. He's had a crush on you for as long as I can remember. I told him it would never work out, he isn't your type."

Himawari blushed and looked a little angered, "what?" she asked. She had no idea that her friend had ever liked her. He never let on that he liked her like that. She was angered that Yuri could push aside his feelings so bluntly…although she had done the same to her about Shikadai so she wasn't really surprised.

"Trust me, he was just captivated by your good looks. He actually complained about you a lot before you started being a team player," Yuri said. She had a bad habit of not knowing when to keep her mouth shut sometimes.

"How troublesome," Shikadai muttered under his breath. Kazuki came back at that moment and plopped himself back in his chair, still wearing a grumpy look. The rest of the people at the table were greeted with an awkward silence.

Himawari cleared her throat, "So anyways, how have you guys been enjoying the festival so far?"

"Just dandy," Kazuki said dryly, drinking half his beer in one swig.

"Shouldn't you slow done there with the drinking? It's only just past noon," Himawari suggested. He gave her a death stare and took another big gulp of his drink in rebellion.

At that moment, Shikadai wrapped his arm around Himawari's waist and pulled her in close to him. "Himawari and I have had a great time so far," he announced, "I hope the two of you haven't let anything spoil your time. The _peace_ day festival happens only once every two years. You have to make the best of it." He emphasized the word 'peace' while staring directly at Kazuki. Kazuki didn't seem to pick up the hint behind Shikadai's words, he just took another big gulp of his beer and then burped loudly, which embarrassed Himawari immensely.

"Kazuki!" Yuri hissed under her breath, "get a grip on yourself."

Kazuki's cheeks were flushed red, it seems the binge drinking was taking its effect on his body, "How do we know if this guy isn't just trying to use Himawari?" he slurred.

"What?" Himawari nearly toppled over the table in her anger.

"I mean, why would he want to be with you Hima? Other than the fact that you're so young, and you have yet to be _de-flowered,_ " he kept an icy stare on Shikadai as he said this. Himawari felt her blood boil at his words. She was about to say something back, but she noticed that Shikadai stood up in a rage.

"That's enough from you," he said in an angrier tone than Himawari had ever heard escape from his lips, "how dare you insinuate such things? Just because you're jealous of me doesn't give you the right to go around and say such repulsive things."

Kazuki tried to stand up, but Yuri held him down, "Jealous?" he said, "You think I'm jealous?" the words slurred forth from his alcohol covered breath.

"Yeah, I do," Shikadai said. He then held a hand out towards Himawari, "when you're ready to apologize, do so to her. It's the least you can do, especially now that you have all achieved good teamwork. Don't throw it away for this." Himawari took his hand and got up, waving goodbye to Yuri, who looked flabbergasted by everything that just happened.

Shikadai stormed away from them, his grip on Himawari's hand was a little tighter than usual. She followed after him, trying to keep up with his quickened pace. Once they were a good distance away from the udon noodle booth, Shikadai stopped and turned around to look at Himawari. He pulled her into a nearly bone crushing hug, holding her tighter than he had ever done before. "I'm really sorry about that," Himawari said into his chest, "I've never seen him like that."

"It's okay," Shikadai said, "don't apologize. He's the one who should apologize. I can't believe the things he said…I hope you don't think that's true."

Himawari pulled away from the hug so that she could look directly into Shikadai's eyes, "of course not," she stated, "I know you like me for who I am…not for that reason he assumes." She couldn't help but blush furiously red at the thought. _How dare Kazuki say such a thing?_

"Good," Shikadai said, "I just want to be clear. I am attracted to you, of course. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. But that's not the reason I took you out for a date. I asked you out for a date because you are incredibly smart, kind and thoughtful. You and I share the same tastes, and we get along pretty well. I wanted to know more about you, about who you really are. Those are the reasons I asked you for a date." There was still a hint of anger behind his words, his fists were balled up and shaking, "if your friend tries to say something like that again, I-I don't know what I'll do. But it won't be good for him."

Himawari grabbed his hands in hers, unclenching his fists and lacing her fingers through his. "Calm down, it's alright," she said gently, "I already know why you asked me out. I know you Shikadai. I know you're not the creepy guy that Kazuki was making you out to be. You have a good heart, that's why I said 'yes' to you."

Shikadai took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. He stared at Himawari, deep into her eyes. He squeezed her hands and then let out another breath. "Okay," he said, "I'm alright. Sorry you had to see me get so angry."

Himawari smiled up at him, "It's okay, I understand. I was mad too. Why don't we do something to get our mind off it. I didn't get to finish my food, do you want to get some sweet cakes or something?"

"That idea sounds lovely," Shikadai said. They walked off in search of sweet treats together, letting go of their anger and looking forward to spending the rest of their time together undisturbed by any annoyances.

…

With their pastries in their hands, they walked off and soon found a large crowd. Himawari wanted to see what the crowd was looking at, so they gathered in close and saw two of the ex-hokages standing up on small boxes. Lady Tsunade and Kakashi were each taking turns telling the story of the 4th great shinobi war. Tsunade was deep in the story of her fight against Madara Uchiha alongside the other kages of the time. There were small children in front of the crowd, seated and looking up at awe at the storytellers.

Himawari and Shikadai listened for a long time to their tales. They were tales that they had heard countless times from their parents, but it was always exciting to hear things from a different perspective. Himawari was especially interested in Kakashi's description of his fight with Obito inside Obito's head space. Kakashi spoke with reverence about his former teammate Rin, and how she had come to his and Obito's rescue. Himawari loved that tale, and hearing it from the source made her feel quite emotional.

When Kakashi and Tsunade finished their tales and the crowd began to disperse, Himawari spotted a flash of orange around the corner of a building. She led Shikadai towards it, and saw her father standing there in the shadows of the building.

"What are you doing dad?" Himawari asked him. "were you spying on Shikadai and I?" she placed her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed.

"Oh no, Himawari, it's nothing like that!" Naruto said, shaking his head forcefully, "I was just listening to Kakashi sensei and Granny Tsunade speak about the 4th shinobi war." Himawari then noticed that her dad's eyes gleamed with tears. He was really sappy sometimes.

"But why didn't you just watch from the crowd then?" Shikadai asked him.

"If I was in the crowd, Kakashi and Tsunade would insist that I tell the story…and I'm really no good at that stuff, they're much better than I am at telling events. Besides, sometimes I just want to watch and listen. If I was in the crowd, everyone would make a big fuss about it." Naruto confessed.

Himawari nodded her understanding, "yeah, okay dad, I guess you're right." Naruto spoke for a few more minutes with the two of them about the festival, asking if they've enjoyed themselves so far. Then he had to get going, as one of the heroes of the war and as the current hokage, he had a meet and greet today where he would sign posters and take pictures. Himawari knew that sometimes he would send out a shadow clone for this task, but recently some had caught on to this and they demanded that the real Naruto be present for a meet and greet. Naruto left the two of them somewhat begrudgingly.

"What's with him?" Shikadai asked Himawari as they walked away, "he looked a little nervous about this meet and greet…I thought nothing could make the hokage nervous."

"Well, it's not necessarily that talking to people makes him nervous, he loves all the villagers as his own family," Himawari explained, "but when he was really little, he was ostracized by the villagers, many even hated him because of Kurama. He was never used to having all this attention on him…he always wanted to be hokage, and he's been famous for a while, but he still isn't used to the attention that he gets. He always feels awkward about giving out his signature."

"Hmm," Shikadai said as he considered this, "your dad is really pretty humble. You know, you're really lucky to have him as your dad."

"I know," Himawari agreed, "he's an amazing person."

…..

Himawari and Shikadai took a walk around the festival to ease the tension in their bellies from overeating. They walked and chatted with each other, finally having a chance to themselves to get to know one another a little better. Their conversation led them through various random topics, from their favorite stories and music to their future aspirations to funny moments they had experienced. Himawari loved talking to Shikadai, not only did he listen well, but he told her many interesting facts and tidbits about himself that she found amazing. She absorbed all this information like a sponge.

After walking past the outdoor stage for a second time, Himawari felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around to see a sheepish Kazuki standing there, with Yuri a few paces behind, her arms crossed. "Hi Himawari, um, I came here to apologize," Kazuki said, looking to the floor.

"Oh," Himawari said, recalling his angered words from before. She still felt maddened by them.

"I was really out of line there," Kazuki continued, "I'm sorry to you and you too Shikadai. I don't know what came over me…I had a few drinks but that's no excuse. So, I hope you'll forgive me, I really am sorry about all that stuff I said." He looked into Himawari's eyes this time, and she could see the guilt and sorrow reflected in his. He really meant it.

"Of course I forgive you," Himawari said without hesitation. "You're my friend and teammate." She smiled warmly at him.

Kazuki looked a little surprised, "Thanks," he said, "I mean, I thought you'd still be mad. But you're really understanding…so thanks." He then turned around awkwardly and walked back to Yuri, who loosened her tightly crossed arms. She reached a hand out for him, and he took it. She waved back at Himawari and then led Kazuki off somewhere. He followed her like a baby duck following his mama.

"Wow," Shikadai said, "I'm surprised he apologized so quickly."

"Our friendship means more than his silly crush on me," Himawari said, "besides…I think he'll find someone else soon." She had a knowing smile on her face.

Shikadai raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you seen the way Yuri looks at him? The way he always follows her around? They like each other, I can just tell," Himawari said.

"You can just tell, huh?" Shikadai laughed a little. "When was the moment you could tell I liked you?"

Himawari smiled up at him, "I knew you liked me when I cuddled up next to you in that cave during that thunderstorm."

Shikadai blushed, he still clearly remembered that night and thought about it often. "How did you know?"

"I could hear your heartbeat going so fast. And your arms was so tense around me, like you were really nervous to hold me," Himawari said, laughing a little at him, "it was cute."

"Cute, huh?" Shikadai said with a smile, "I was pretty nervous. Holding you close made me go mad…all I wanted to do was kiss you."

"You should've," Himawari said, feeling her own stomach twirl at the thought.

"Next time, I will," Shikadai promised. Fireworks erupted inside Himawari, she could hardly wait for their next opportunity to cuddle up close together.

…..

Saturday night was reserved for the hour of silence to commemorate the fallen warriors of the war, so Himawari and Shikadai gathered close with the Uzumaki family, preparing their paper lantern. Himawari's family always lit up their lantern together, and Himawari doubted this tradition would ever break. After all, her own uncle Neji had died in the war saving both of her parents. She never knew her uncle, but from all the stories she had heard about him, she knew him to be a great man.

Thousands of people gathered in a big grass field near the graveyard of Konoha, where they would soon release their paper lanterns simultaneously. Himawari spotted Tenten nearby, lighting a lantern for Neji as well. She already had tears streaming down her face. Her friend and teammate, Rock Lee, was patting her back. They both had lost a member of their three man squad, and the two of them always set their lantern into the sky together.

Himawari focused back on her family. Shikadai and Sarada were among them. Naruto gathered them all together, and then said "I hope all of you understand the significance of why we light these lanterns. In 5 minutes, the sky will be alit with thousands of lanterns, which is always a beautiful sight. But beyond that beauty, there was once a lot of pain and suffering. Those who died in the war gave their lives so that we may attain peace. I hope none of you will ever forget their sacrifice, and will strive to keep that peace in your hearts forever."

Then Himawari's mother spoke up, "I'll never forget the sacrifice that Neji made. He gave his life willingly to protect myself and Naruto. He believed not only in us, but in all the shinobi of our nations. He believed that we would overcome evil, and prevail. He loved us so much, that he chose to die in battle rather than watch myself or Naruto die…" tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. Boruto patted his mother on the back and Naruto wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "Neji taught me so much, and I'll never forget that. I'll always love my brother."

The paper lanterns were then sent off into the sky, and as thousands of them lit up at once, Himawari was reminded again of the bright stars that shone above each night. The paper lanterns were brighter, and would light up the night sky for several hours before dissipating. The silence that fell among the enormous crowd was a reminder to everyone of the sacrifice that each fallen soldier made for them. Himawari and Shikadai had never seen war in their lifetime, and they owed that gratitude towards the souls above them.

Shikadai squeezed Himawari's hand in his. She looked up at him, noticing a teardrop slowly roll down his cheek. She was shocked that he was crying.

When the hour of silence was over, Shikadai walked home with Himawari, the two of them trailing behind her family. Her mother was still crying up ahead, and Naruto was holding her in close.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," Himawari mentioned to Shikadai.

"I don't cry often…" Shikadai said, "but as I listened to your parents talk about Neji, I felt something stir within me. I thought about what that might feel like, to lose someone so dear. I thought how awful it would be to lose you like that, and I couldn't help but cry a little."

Himawari was startled by his words, she turned around to look up at him, "You were thinking about me?"

"Yeah," Shikadai said, "maybe it's a bit self centered…I mean, I was supposed to be thinking about the fallen soldiers from the war. And I did think about them, don't get me wrong. But, I couldn't shake the thought of what that might be like if it was our lives…and that thought was too overwhelming."

"Shikadai," Himawari could barely think of anything to say, she was so overwhelmed by her emotions. She stopped walking, which made Shikadai stop. He blinked at her, then stared ahead at her family. They were still walking on, they hadn't noticed that the two of them had stopped. Himawari pulled his face down to hers and kissed him fully on the lips. She kissed him harder than she had done before, pushing against him with all her might, letting him know that everything was okay. She released, breathing heavily, and said, "I don't want you to worry about that stuff. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Good," Shikadai said. He seemed too stunned by her kiss to say anything else. He was breathing hard too, trying to catch his breath after their passionate embrace. Himawari grabbed his hand again and led the way to her house. Shikadai was in a daze as they walked home. She giggled to herself, wondering if her forceful kiss had rendered him speechless for the rest of the night.


	15. Chapter 15: Peace Day Festival part 3

Shikadai and Himawari found themselves in a thick crowd, cheering on the loud rappers on the stage. _What a drag,_ Shikadai thought to himself. He wasn't sure how they had gotten pushed towards the front of the crowd, but it was not a preferred spot for him. He could feel the sticky sweat of the people leaning up against him, and feel their hot breath on his neck.

Himawari did not seem annoyed by their predicament. She was staring up at the stage with a bright smile, cheering on her friend. It was a talent show contest, a new event for this year's peace day festival. Currently on the stage was Cho and her mother's master, Killer Bee. They had created a rap together, and the crowd was going wild.

Shikadai enjoyed the singing of his friend, but he wanted desperately to get out of the thick crowd. He pulled Himawari's hand and led her off to the side, where they could still see the stage clearly but weren't in the front. He sighed once they were released from the chaos.

"Wow," Himawari said, "I never knew Cho could rap like that."

"Yeah, she learned from Killer Bee," Shikadai said.

"I wonder who will be next?" Himawari was really enjoying the talent show. "Maybe you and I could enter the contest next time!"

"Huh?" This didn't seem to interest Shikadai, it seemed too troublesome to him. "And what would our talent be, exactly?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Himawari said, pondering this, "maybe we could put on a skit or something."

Shikadai waved his hands in front of his face, "no way. That's not really my thing."

Himawari made her eyes wide, in a puppy-dog like pout face. "Oh man, would you really make me go through all that?" Shikadai asked, trying not to stare into her beautiful big eyes.

Himawari broke free of the puppy-pout and laughed hysterically, "Oh man, you should've seen the look on your face!" she cried, "of course I wouldn't make you do that! If you don't want to do a talent show I won't force you to!" She was still laughing at Shikadai, who sighed in relief. She was really something.

After Cho and Killer Bee left the stage, they watched an odd performance by Metal Lee and his father, Rock Lee. The two of them showed off their taijutsu skills in a fight against each other. The only problem was that they got a little carried away, and almost broke the stage in half. As one of the judges, Lady Tsunade stepped in and stopped their so called 'talent performance' before they did any real damage. She herself almost broke through the pillars of the stage to stop them, ironically.

Their act was followed by a calm and soothing performance by Inojin and his father Sai. The two of them laid out a large canvas and did a collaborative artwork drawing. They drew a tree with cherry blossoms and a young girl under the tree, catching the falling flowers. When they had finished drawing, they used their jutsu to make the cartoon come to life. The tree swayed realistically with petals falling down on the stage and the cartoon girl went to grab each one. Himawari and Shikadai were captivated by its beauty.

Shikadai and Himawari decided not to stick around to find out the winner of the contest, they figured they could hear about it all later. Instead, they took a stroll by the edge of the village, where there were hardly any passersby. Shikadai was happy to finally have some time together alone.

Himawari took in a deep breath as they walked casually, "I feel like I can finally breathe," she said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Shikadai agreed. "The peace day festival is great, but there's always an overwhelming amount of people around. Sometimes I just like to come out here to get away from it all."

"It's a great idea," Himawari said. She began to swing his hand around in hers, and they laughed a little. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Well, there's a place close by to here where I like to sit and cloud gaze. I mean, we don't have to do that if you don't want to," he said rather lamely. He realized that probably the only two lazy shinobi who enjoyed cloud gazing were himself and his father. It was also late in the afternoon, and would be getting dark soon.

"Actually, that sounds great!" Himawari said, beaming. Shikadai smiled back enthusiastically, and led her to his favorite cloud gazing spot. It was a large wooden bench where his father used to take him. It was large enough to lay back on and look up at the sky.

Shikadai and Himawari laid down and looked up, still holding on to each other's hands. "So you used to come here with your dad?" Himawari asked.

"Yeah," Shikadai said, "when I was little I used to love hanging around here with him."

"That's so sweet," Himawari said, "I used to always play rough games with my dad and brother. When we were little, we would play ninja before Boruto and I could use ninjutsu. We always loved to roughhouse with my dad, or make him show us his ninjutsu. I used to think it was so amazing, watching him make a rasengan or go into nine tailed mode."

"Well, you're dad does do some pretty amazing things. But he's nowhere near as amazing as you," Shikadai said. He turned to look at Himawari, and noticed she was blushing.

"Wow," she said, "you always find a way to make me feel embarrassed." She was holding her hands up to her face, "I'm not that amazing."

"Himawari," Shikadai said, "you're truly the most amazing woman I've ever met." He leaned his head against hers, looking straight into her eyes. He kissed her forehead, which brought a smile to her lips. Then he kissed her lips gently, and pulled back to see an even bigger smile. "There's that Uzumaki smile that I know so well," he said.

He laid back down again and looked up at the sky. They laid in silence for a moment or two, watching the clouds drift by slowly. For a minute, Shikadai thought that maybe Himawari had fallen asleep, but she was still staring up at the clouds. "Are you bored?" he asked her.

"No, just lost in thought," she said. She inched her body closer to his, and placed her head against his shoulder. He felt butterflies swarm in his stomach. She pointed up at the sky towards one particularly large cloud, "That one looks like you a little bit."

"What?" Shikadai laughed, "How so?"

"Well, there's a circular part there, and then some spiky stuff coming out of it…it looks like your face and your hair!" she laughed into his shoulder, realizing how weird her comment sounded.

Shikadai laughed with her, "you have quite an imagination."

"Well, what do you think it looks like?" she asked him.

"Hmm," he pondered, "maybe a flower…with half the petals missing. Yeah," he sounded more confident now, "it actually looks like a sunflower. Like you."

"Psh, that does not look like a sunflower," Himawari protested.

"Hm, maybe not…the wind is blowing it away now anyways," Shikadai said. Then, he remembered something, "you know, I searched all over the village gardens for a sunflower to give you on your birthday. That's part of the reason I was so late. I kept chasing for a sunflower without realizing that we didn't have any around. Ino's flower shop was closed already, so I couldn't just buy one."

"So you were planning on bringing a card, a bracelet and a flower for my birthday?" Himawari asked him. There was a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yeah," Shikadai said, "you make it sound excessive, haha. It didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time, I figured you deserved everything special for your birthday. When I couldn't find a sunflower, I headed to the restaurant and ended up a little late. I never told anyone I was looking for a sunflower, maybe I would've had better luck if I had asked for help."

Himawari wrapped her arms tightly around Shikadai, nuzzling her face up against his neck, "you don't need to look any further," she told him, "you have your sunflower right here."

Shikadai hugged her back, "Yeah, I do. And it's the best sunflower I could ever hope to find."

…..

Night fell upon them fast, and they hurried away from their cloud gazing spot to find a secluded area to watch the fireworks. Many of their friends asked them to join up to watch the firework display, but they politely refused every offer. Tonight, they wanted to watch the fireworks together, just the two of them. Using her byakugon, Himawari found a spot quickly for them that was deserted of all people.

They climbed up atop the small hill and set down a blanket on the grass. Most of the people watching were down in the field in front of the outdoor stage. The fireworks would be displayed in the sky right above the stage, so the field was really an ideal spot. However, Shikadai was sure they would still have an excellent view from atop their little hill, even if there were a few trees in the way.

Himawari sat down on the blanket, and patted the spot next to her, indicating that Shikadai sit there. "Hm," he said, "I think I'd prefer this spot." He sat directly behind her, and pulled her in close to him, wrapping her up in his arms and placing his legs on either side of her. He leaned his face over her shoulder, resting his cheek up against hers. He could almost feel the heat emanating from her face.

"I like this," she admitted, entwining her hands in his. He held onto her tight, remembering back to the time they had cuddled up like this in the cave while it was raining. He had been too afraid to kiss her then, but nothing was holding him back now. He started with a gentle kiss against her smooth cheek, and then he placed a kiss up by her brow. Himawari turned her face to him then, allowing him to kiss her on the lips. Although they had already kissed a few times before, each time still felt like the first time to Shikadai. He felt his heart swoop in his chest as their lips met.

This time however, they kissed differently. Shikadai pushed against her lips with passion, reaching up a hand to cusp her face and bring her closer to him. She pushed her lips up against his with as much force, and then moaned slightly. Her moan made his heart skip a beat. He opened his mouth cautiously, and she did the same. They pushed their tongues up against each others, exploring the new sensation. They made out like that for a little while, and then Shikadai began to feel curious. He wondered what it would feel like to kiss her neck, her ears, and her chin. So, he did just that. He parted their passionate kiss, and heard her moan again. He immediately turned his lips towards her ear, nipping it gently before brushing up against her neck with his lips slightly parted. Then, he kissed her neck with his mouth open, so he could suck gently on her skin and lick the area. He felt goose bumps rise up her arm as he kissed her neck, and a pleasant tingling coursed up his own spine. Kissing her anywhere felt truly amazing. He then ran his tongue along her jaw line and placed a small kiss on her chin, which made her laugh. Then, his lips were upon hers again. They couldn't get enough. They kissed passionately and vigorously, letting their hands explore around each other's bodies.

Then, before Shikadai could decide where to kiss next, they heard a loud 'boom!' Himawari and Shikadai looked up at the sky in confusion. The fireworks had just started, they witnessed the red sparks fly down to the earth before the next firework blazed through the sky with another loud booming sound. Himawari laughed, "wow, I almost forgot about the fireworks."

"Yeah, same here," Shikadai said. He placed his head up against her shoulder again, still hugging her from behind. His heartbeat was racing fast from their kiss. "I was thinking back to that time in the cave, and I told you yesterday that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. I wanted to kiss you back then but didn't, so I made up for that now."

"I'm glad you did," Himawari said before turning her head and kissing him again.

He laughed into her kiss and then said, "Don't you want to watch the fireworks?"

Himawari shrugged, "I've seen fireworks before. I'd rather kiss you." She leaned in to kiss him again. Shikadai ran his fingers through her hair, taking in her scent with each breath.

They parted again, but Shikadai did not take his eyes off her. The fireworks seemed to be miles away from them, neither of them turned to look at them. "Hey Himawari," Shikadai said, feeling a tense knot in his stomach. "will you be my girlfriend? I know it's a little unconventional to ask that on the first date…but when you think about it, this is more like our 3rd date."

Himawari smiled warmly at him, "of course I'll be your girlfriend," she responded. Then, without another word to waste, she pulled him in for another kiss. Fireworks seemed to be exploding within Shikadai, not out there in the sky. His heart thrummed loudly in his ears, blocking out all other sounds. _She said yes…Himawari is my girlfriend!_ He felt like he could die happy that night, as he continued to make out with his wonderful girlfriend.

They stopped their fervent kissing once the fireworks had stopped exploding in the sky. They grinned widely at each other, still wanting more. Shikadai held Himawari tightly, and whispered in her ear, "This has been the best night of my life, my sunflower."

Himawari replied, "mine too." She cuddled up closer to him, resting her head on him. They stared up at the sky, watching the faint smoke from the fireworks dissipate. The fireworks always signified the end of the festival, but for the two of them, it was just their beginning.

….

Shikadai watched his girlfriend scrutinize over her next move as they sat on his porch. They were playing shogi, the only game that she had yet to defeat him in. The peace day festival occurred about four months earlier, and the two of them had spent as much time together as they could between missions and training. Himawari became a jonin about three months ago, and Naruto was already speaking highly about her success with her team on the missions they had gone on. She had become an excellent team leader, and would soon be receiving a genin squad of her own. Shikadai himself had begun training a three person genin team a few weeks earlier. His students found him lazy, but they had high respect for him. He remembered thinking that training the young genin would be troublesome, but he found that he actually quite enjoyed it.

Himawari finally made her move, and Shikadai had been waiting for it. He quickly picked up his piece and moved it forward, setting up his pieces for yet another win. Himawari glared at him and he smirked. He knew she would best him someday, she was quite smart after all.

Himawari glanced down at the board game and then back up at Shikadai. A look of surprise swept across her face, and she looked down again on the board as if in disbelief. "What is it?" Shikadai asked.

Himawari moved up another piece, in a direction that he didn't expect. Shikadai was shocked, her move jeopardized his plan. He thought long and hard about what to do next…until he finally made his decision. _There, let's see how she counters this!_

Himawari grinned playfully and picked up one of her pieces, placing it down on the board with vivacity. Shikadai looked up at her with shock. She had just won the game.

"Oh yeah!" Himawari cried, punching a fist in the air. She then got up and did a little victory dance. Shikadai couldn't help but laugh at the sight, she was so adorable. He felt his heart burst with joy, he still couldn't believe she had finally beat him. "Did you see that Shika! I finally beat you in shogi!"

Himawari twirled around once more and then landed back down next to him, kissing his cheek before saying, "sorry to boast, but I'm just so glad I finally did it!"

"Yeah, you did," Shikadai said, "congratulations."

Himawari hugged him and then got up again, doing another silly dance in her victory. Shikadai stared at her in awe, she was truly perfect. Before he could think twice, three words escaped his lips, "I love you."

Himawari stopped her silly dance, and stared at him. Shikadai felt his face turn red, and he immediately began to stammer some excuse, "I mean, I-I," Himawari walked towards him and placed a finger upon his lips, quieting him. He noticed her eyes were slightly wet, as though she was about to cry. _Oh jeez, what have I done?_

"I love you too Shikadai," she said. She blinked, and the tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm crying because I'm so happy," she said. Shikadai smiled at her, and then felt a tear roll down his own face. _How troublesome, she's the only person who can make me cry like this…but that's how I know I love her._

He kissed her salty tears away from her cheeks and said, "I'll love you forever Himawari. That's a promise."

She nodded and then kissed him on the lips, "And I will always love you too."

From that day forward, Shikadai didn't daydream the way he used to. His real life was better than any dream. He had found his perfect sunflower.

End

...

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was mostly fluffy/happy, hope that's okay!- I added in the little epilogue for the end to wrap up- I thought it would be appropriate to have closure on whether or not Himawari became a jonin and also how Shikadai and Himawari finally confessed their love for each other. Hope you guys liked the story! Please let me know! If anyone has any suggestions for future stories, I'd love to hear- I'm thinking to do a series of one-shots between the two some day- probably rated M so I can add in some smut. Ideas and reviews are welcome, thanks for all the reviews from everyone so far and for the support!


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